Officials say activist killed at courthouse was acting alone

Evidence found in the home of the fathers' rights advocate who was killed by police at the federal courthouse in Seattle earlier this week indicates he acted alone and likely intended to commit "suicide by cop" to draw attention to his cause, according to court documents and law-enforcement officials.

Perry L. Manley, 52, was shot to death in the foyer of the U.S. District Courthouse Monday after brandishing a deactivated grenade. Officers tried for nearly a half hour to get him to surrender before he made what police described as a "furtive" movement and was shot twice by Seattle police officers.

Within hours, FBI agents searched his apartment on Western Avenue in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood. What they found there has led them to conclude that, barring any new evidence, Manley was acting alone, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg.

"There are still a few loose ends," said Greenberg, who noted that the FBI should conclude its investigation next week. "But based on what we know right now, it doesn't appear that anyone else was involved."

Among the items found in Manley's apartment was a copy of his will, which was in plain sight on the kitchen table, Greenberg said. Another will, dated the previous day, was in a folder Manley was carrying when he was shot. Officials say they believe, based on those documents, that Manley intended to die when he went to the courthouse.

While numerous other documents were found in the house, including what agents described as "child-support propaganda" and leaflets regarding custodial issues, no suicide note was found, Greenberg said.

The search warrant outlines Manley's legal frustrations since his divorce and separation from his three children 15 years ago. He filed at least five lawsuits alleging unfair treatment at the hands of the state's family-law courts, particularly the requirement that he pay child support. Each lawsuit was more strident than the previous one and all were dismissed.

In April, Manley caught the attention of the U.S. Marshal's Office after he accused U.S. District Judge Thomas Zilly of treason in a pleading that pointed out that the crime is punishable by death.

In May, Manley authored an e-mail in which he described himself as the "grim reaper," and he was seen several times at the courthouse, according to the search warrant.

On May 10, he told a security officer that "in the next 48 hours" the judge would be held accountable. Later that month, Manley attempted to burn a flag on the courthouse plaza.

On Monday, according to the warrant, Manley was seen in the unsecured portion of the courthouse lobby for several minutes before he pulled out what later was determined to be an inert fragmentation grenade. Court security officers drew their weapons and repeatedly asked him to stop as he edged along a reflecting pond past security.

One officer asked him what he wanted and Manley held out a folder and replied: "The answer is right in these papers." The will was later found in the folder. Officers attempted to negotiate with Manley before he was killed.

An e-mail attributed by his friends to Manley, and sent an hour before he was shot, called for the U.S. government to declare war on the 50 states for violating the rights of noncustodial fathers and mothers in America.

"The governments duly sworn by oath to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights deny the just liberty and freedom of 25 million citizens forced into involuntary service and peonage in violation of guaranteed protection of human rights," the e-mail said.

Mike Carter: 206-464-3706 or mcarter@seattletimes.com