Suspect in the murder of an 80-year-old woman in Seattle is deemed unfit to stand trial

SEATTLE- The suspect accused of stealing and killing 80-year-old Ruth Dalton in Seattle last month has been found not fit to stand trial.

The verdict was announced Thursday afternoon at a hearing at the King County Courthouse, where Jahmed Haynes appeared before a judge in a wheelchair.

Haynes, 48, is charged with murder, assault and animal cruelty in the Aug. 20 deaths of Dalton and her dog, Prince.

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Human Services and Health Services staff conducted a competency evaluation on Haynes last week at the King County Jail. The investigation determined he will require treatment at Western State Hospital in Pierce County to regain competency.

“I don’t understand the capacity problem here. He was intentional in many of his actions,” said Melanie Roberts, Ruth Dalton’s granddaughter.

Roberts spoke to reporters after the hearing and said the verdict was frustrating for Dalton's family.

“I think this is a big waste of time,” Roberts said. “I feel like he demonstrated his ability time and time again in the crime he committed. These were intentional acts. I don’t buy that.”

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Thursday's hearing was the first time Roberts had seen Haynes in person, as he had previously refused to appear in court.

“I was surprised. This monster that I built in my head was just this little, sad man,” she said.

Judge Melinda Young ordered Haynes to undergo 90 days of treatment and then appear in court again on December 5 to be re-determined as to his competency.

Police allege Haynes kidnapped Dalton as she pulled to the side of the road in her Subaru Forester at Martin Luther King Jr. Way East and East Harrison Street in the Madison Valley neighborhood.

Video of the incident released by the King County Prosecutor's Office shows Haynes pacing next to Dalton's car before climbing into the passenger side and the vehicle accelerating down the road.

The Subaru crashed into another car, after which police allege Haynes pushed Dalton out of the car and ran her over before fleeing the scene.

Neighbors at the scene tried to resuscitate Dalton, but she died. According to the charges, Haynes drove Dalton's car to the Brighton Playing Fields south of Seattle, where he stabbed and beat Dalton's dog before leaving his body in a trash can.

Investigators found Dalton's phone in the trash can along with the dog's body. According to the charges, a fingerprint examiner matched a fingerprint on her phone to Haynes. Haynes was arrested the next day and investigators said he had Dalton's car keys with him, as well as a knife with blood and animal hair on it.

A neighbor told investigators that Haynes asked him for a ride to a hospital in Tacoma on the night of the murder and that Haynes claimed Seattle hospitals wouldn't treat him, a police report said.

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Haynes has an extensive criminal history, including convictions for vehicular homicide, drug trafficking, robbery and assault. He spent about 25 years in prison before being released in 2017. He was under probation supervision until 2018 and had no new criminal cases between his release from prison and his arrest for Dalton's murder.

Roberts, Dalton's granddaughter, said the family is planning a public memorial to Ruth's life at the Boxyard Victory Hall in Seattle's SODO neighborhood on Sunday, Oct. 20, from 1 to 5 p.m