Family of murdered JBLM soldier pleads for help finding killer; $11,000 reward offered

BURIEN -- Sgt.  Timothy Hovey loved his country, his family and his friends who say he was larger than life and always laughing. That’s why it makes no sense to anyone that someone would kill him. The 27-year-old JBLM soldier was just a month away from deploying to Iraq when he was shot four times early in the morning of September 4th at 128th Street and 21st Ave S in Burien.  “There had been a house party a couple blocks from where he had been shot and we understand he decided to go for a walk,” said Sgt. Cindi West.

Sgt. Hovey grew up in Sacramento where his family is struggling to understand how someone who was willing to go to the most dangerous places on Earth to protect our freedoms could be killed on the street here.  “An American killed an American soldier. It just doesn't sound right to me,” said his mom Stephanie Williams.  Sgt. Hovey was her only son.



His clothes and bedding are still boxed up in his grandmother’s home there. His death has devastated her and it’s just too painful to unpack.  “He`s never gonna hold his own baby in his arms or walk down the aisle when he gets married,” said Bonita Hovey.  She says it doesn’t even feel real that her grandson is gone.  “I want them to understand the pain that they`ve left behind. It`s just not right,” said Hovey about the shooter.

Bonita Hovey points to her grandson's photo



King County detectives still aren’t sure if Hovey was targeted. “Whether it was random, somebody driving by or if it had something to do with the party he attended. Those are the questions we need to get answered,” said Sgt. West.  Sgt. Hovey’s family wants justice for their hero.  “It is so wrong. Somebody out there knows something and they need to come forward because no one has the right to take another person`s life,” said his grandmother.

Sgt. Hovey's family is offering a $10,000 to add to the $1,000 Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound reward to anyone who can help solve the case. If you know who killed him or saw a suspicious vehicle that night, call the hot line anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or use the P3 Tips App to submit your information.