Trial begins against island man charged with attempted murder

James Kevin Warren is charged with first-degree attempted murder in the King County Superior Court.

By Alex Bruell • August 23, 2023 1:30 am
A house in Vashon’s Fir Ridge neighborhood, on the block where deputies say the crime took place, was sealed off with crime tape the afternoon of the arrest (Elizabeth Shepherd Photo).
A house in Vashon’s Fir Ridge neighborhood, on the block where deputies say the crime took place, was sealed off with crime tape the afternoon of the arrest (Elizabeth Shepherd Photo).

Editor’s Note, Sept. 12, 2023

Islander James Warren was acquitted — found not guilty — in a jury trial in which prosecutors sought to convict him of attempting to kill another islander. The jury acquitted Warren on Sept. 11. According to a special verdict form, those jurors found that Warren proved he had acted in self-defense. See The Beachcomber’s coverage here.

The following story was published online Aug. 23, 2023.

Monday marked the beginning of the attempted murder trial against James Kevin Warren, an Island man accused of the stabbing of fellow Islander Duncan Mayshark in February.

Warren is charged with first-degree attempted murder in the King County Superior Court. He faces trial in Seattle.

King County prosecutor’s office spokesperson Douglas Wagoner estimated Tuesday morning that testimony may start in the case the week of September 5, with closing arguments likely taking place around September 12 or 13.

In court documents, prosecutors say Warren committed “a brutal and prolonged assault,” stabbing Mayshark around half a dozen times with a large kitchen knife and causing him to lose about half a gallon of blood.

The King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) received a 911 call from a neighbor of the victim on Feb. 9 reporting a stabbing in the 19000 block of 87th PL SW, in the Fir Ridge neighborhood of Vashon. At the neighbor’s house, deputies found the 35-year-old male adult victim with multiple stab wounds to the head, neck and arms.

According to the court documents, Mayshark came to his neighbor’s house, bleeding profusely, and told the neighbor that Warren had stabbed him.

Mayshark was airlifted via helicopter to Harborview Medical Center, and received a blood transfusion during his helicopter ride.

According to documents, a search warrant was drafted for the victim’s residence, and blood, a bloody knife and a bloody hammer were found in the residence, along with a bag containing what the investigators believed to be narcotics containing fentanyl. Warren was arrested on Vashon at around 4 p.m. that day.

In the criminal justice system, defendants like Warren are considered innocent until proven guilty.