Washington Man Held $4M Bond After Murdering, Dismembering Girlfriend

Willie James McCoo, 55, was arrested in Seattle on murder charges after allegedly stabbing his 31-year-old girlfriend, Kiara Sewell, to death and dismembering her body in an apartment. Surveillance footage showed McCoo and Sewell entering the building on June 8 and 9, but only McCoo was seen afterward, often carrying bags suspected to contain body parts. A coroner determined Sewell likely died on June 10. Police found a machete and a hunting knife in McCoo's storage locker, potentially linking these weapons to the crime. McCoo was released from prison last fall after serving nearly 20 years for a previous first-degree assault conviction involving a knife attack on a sleeping woman; his sentence had been reduced following a state Supreme Court ruling on drug laws. Sewell's mother expressed deep anguish and demanded justice, highlighting the brutal nature of the attack, including stabbing to the face and decapitation.