Roommate arrested in stabbing death of Seattle woman



SEATTLE -- Homicide detectives arrested a 25-year-old man for the murder of his roommate last month in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood.

According to police, the suspect was taken into custody early Thursday morning in Seattle and booked into King County Jail for investigation of murder.

Lalita Byrnes, 38, was found dead in her home by a friend who went to the residence.

The King County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Byrnes’ death a homicide caused by multiple sharp-force injuries, The Seattle Times reported.

The medical examiner determined that Byrnes died a day before her body was found. At the time, police said  the homicide did not appear to be a random act.

“She was a community builder and was a warrior of inclusion,” friend Molly Donovan said.
 Lita was a strong presence on social media as an administrator for a Wallingford community page.


“She had the temperament to lead people, you know, always injected kindness when things got off the rails,” friend Amy Dullard said.

Dullard said it’s shocking that anyone would want to hurt Lita.

She was the kind of person that rushed to Amy in another state after Amy’s cancer diagnosis.

“I am so lucky to have someone like her. I am so lucky that she included me as one of her friends,” Dullard said.

“Lita has a tattoo of a rocking chair on her arm, it was meant to represent really true friends and one day sitting on the porch in your 80s rocking in the rocking chair,” Dullard said.