Federal Way woman's struggles led to evidence for murder charge

An elderly woman's fierce struggle before she died produced key evidence for a murder charge against a nursing assistant who helped care for her husband at a Federal Way nursing home, authorities say.

In a news conference Tuesday, King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said Jane Carol Britt scratched her assailant, broke fingernails and was wounded on her hands before she was beaten and choked to death.

Her body was found March 19 in the trunk of her gold Mercedes Benz in the parking lot at the Garden Terrace Alzheimer's Center of Excellence in Federal Way, where her husband Frank resides because he has Parkinson's disease.

Joseph N. Njonge, 24, of Kent, an immigrant from Kenya, was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder, partly on the basis of DNA from a large amount of skin cells investigators found under Britt's fingernails.

Njonge, who had a cut on his left hand and scratch marks on his neck, has denied killing Britt. He remained in jail with bail set at $1 million pending arraignment April 17 at the Regional Justice Center.

"Jane Britt's valiant fight for her life is what ultimately led to the arrest and charging of the defendant," Satterberg said.

"Jane Britt gave us the information that we needed to identify her attacker," Federal Way Police Chief Brian J. Wilson said.

Wilson said Britt probably was killed near her car. A wheelchair she kept in the trunk for her husband was found in the woods near the nursing home, along with her garage door opener, which police said she often carried in her pocket.

Njonge had worked for a year as a certified nursing assistant at Garden Terrace, helped care for Frank Britt and knew his wife, police said. Frank Britt's Costco card was found in Njonge's wallet, indicating robbery may have been involved in the theft, but investigators remain uncertain about the motive for the killing.

"That is the question for many of us," Wilson said. "Why?"