Probe of cabdriver's death leads to arrest in Chicago

The man charged with robbing and killing a taxicab driver July 10 in SeaTac had earlier talked to a friend about "jacking someone" after losing money playing dice, according to charging papers.

Earnest Collins, 18, was arrested Monday in Chicago in connection with the shooting death of Jagit Singh, 43, whose burned body was found in his charred cab outside a SeaTac home. Collins was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder.

Collins is believed to have called Farwest Taxi around 2:30 a.m. to summon a cab, said King County sheriff's spokesman John Urquhart. When firefighters responded to a call about a car fire near South 177th Street and 38th Avenue South, they found Singh dead in his cab.

Singh died from two gunshots to the head. Authorities say the killer then started a fire on or near the cabbie's lap, according to court papers.

Deputies were led to Collins after determining the call summoning a cab was made from his home, which was near where the cab was found, according to charging papers. Several people identified Collins' voice on the taxi company's recorded line, charging papers said.

Investigators also found burned clothing at the home that Collins shared with his parents and siblings, Urquhart said.

Investigators found a trail of pennies leading from the burned taxi to a driveway near Collins' home. A friend said Collins had recently lost money in a Seattle dice game and talked about "jacking someone" to earn that money back, charging papers said.

Investigators tracked Collins to Chicago, where a friend of his girlfriend lived. Authorities said that since Singh's slaying, Collins' girlfriend wired him $115.

Collins was arrested by Chicago police; he is expected to be extradited to Seattle next week.

Collins' family declined to comment Wednesday.

Dan Donohoe, spokesman for the King County Prosecutor's Office, said his office has not yet decided whether it will upgrade the charge to aggravated first-degree murder. Such a charge could allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty.