A horrifying incident unfolded in Seattle as a homeless man was brutally killed with an ax while he slept. The suspect, identified as 25-year-old Liam Harrison Kryger, has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with the crime. The victim, 52-year-old Daravuth Van, was found deceased outside Town Hall Seattle in the early hours of February 22.
According to charging documents from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Kryger was captured on video walking by Van multiple times, seemingly scoping him out. He was wearing a striped knit cap and carrying a backpack with a protruding long handle. At around 3:28 a.m., Kryger was seen slowly approaching Van, looking around for any witnesses nearby. The surveillance footage then shows Kryger striking Van with a long-handled ax before fleeing the scene.
The tragic discovery was made by a woman heading to the gym at 5 a.m. She found Van’s lifeless body with a large pool of blood surrounding his head on the sidewalk and immediately called 911. First responders arrived at the scene but were unable to save Van, declaring him dead on site.
Police records reveal that on March 2, an officer on patrol in Seattle noticed an individual matching the suspect’s description carrying a “tubular object” beside him. Upon seeing the officer, the suspect fled, leading the officers on a pursuit. During the chase, law enforcement discovered an abandoned ax in the bushes near where the suspect had been running.
Authorities circulated a notice with the suspect’s picture, and a police officer who knew Kryger as a family friend recognized him. Kryger was apprehended at his Seattle residence the following day. Prosecution documents indicate that he was wearing the same striped knit hat that was captured on the surveillance footage from the morning of the killing. After being read his Miranda rights, Kryger allegedly admitted to being the person in the surveillance photos.