Homeless man charged in double murder in Auburn park; bail raised to $4 million

SEATTLE -- A 39-year-old transient was charged with two counts of murder Friday in the shooting deaths of a man and woman in Auburn's Les Gove Park last Sunday night.

A King County Superior Court judge also raised the bail Friday from $2 million to $4 million for Charles Petrich, a homeless man whose last known address was in Ellensburg.

In addition to the two second-degree murder charges, Petrich is also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm since he was a felon.

According to the probable cause document filed in court, Petrich, Sara Arthur, 29, and Chaz Schmitz, 32, were together at the park Sunday night in the 900 block of L Street in Auburn when Petrich reportedly got into a dispute with Schmitz.

The document said Petrich grabbed a .22 caliber rifle from his truck and shot Arthur at the base of her skull and then shot Schmitz in the chest. Schmitz died immediately, and Arthur died the next day at Harborview Medical Center.

Petrich, a felon who previously had been convicted of assault, was found Monday night in Auburn by a police officer and arrested without incident.

Police said all the victims were homeless and had ties to the Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, area. They were in Auburn to work at fireworks stands, police said.