Murder charge filed in former radio host's slaying

King County prosecutors have filed a first-degree murder charge against the man accused of killing Seattle former KIRO radio talk-show host Mike Webb, whose decomposing body was found inside his house June 28.

Scott White, 28, Webb's former roommate, was charged with first-degree murder today in King County Superior Court.

White, who could face more than 28 years if convicted as charged, is being held in the King County Jail on $1 million bail and is scheduled to be arraigned July 30.

White was arrested Wednesday at Trolley Hill Park on Queen Anne Hill after officers were tipped to his location, Assistant Police Chief Nick Metz said during a news conference Friday afternoon.

Metz said the two men met in November. The suspect moved in with Webb a short time later.

Metz said police believe White killed Webb and then lived in various city parks.

Webb's body was found by a property manager in a Queen Anne home that Webb rented. The 51-year-old was reported missing May 14; he apparently hadn't been seen since mid-April.

Prosecutors allege in charging documents that White hit Webb with an ax between three and seven times, put a plastic bag over the victims head due to the amount of blood and dragged the body down the stairs to the home's crawl space where White covered the body with a tarp.

Police and prosecutors also allege that White text messaged Webb's friends and family, posing as Mike Webb, and claiming that he was out of town. In addition, prosecutors allege that White pawned several items of Webb's personal property and used Webb's debit card.

The autopsy conducted by the King County Medical Examiner Office determined that Webb had stab wounds to the chest, neck, shoulder and five lengthy lacerations across his face.

John McMullen, a longtime friend of Webb's, said Webb had given the suspect a place to live while he worked through drug-addiction recovery.

"Mike had been in recovery, and he tried to help many in the gay and lesbian community as a sponsor," McMullen said.

Bill Korum, owner of Puyallup Nissan, said the suspect stole a Nissan that Korum had given Webb to test-drive and review on his Internet radio show. Korum said that when the suspect returned the car to Webb about a week later, the suspect called Korum.

"He said, 'I was out of line,' and, 'It's not something I'd normally do,' " Korum said.

Webb, a 10-year KIRO employee who hosted a liberal late-night talk show, was fired from the station shortly after he was charged with insurance fraud in December 2005.

Prosecutors said Webb filed a fraudulent insurance claim after a traffic accident in June 2005. Geico investigators testified that he bought the policy the day after the accident and then submitted a claim asserting he purchased it five weeks earlier.

A King County judge declared a mistrial after some jurors saw Webb handcuffed outside the courthouse. Seattle police said he was acting "irrational and irate."

Webb was convicted of insurance fraud in February after a second trial and sentenced to 240 hours of community service and fined $1,000.