Ruth Dalton 80 year old Seattle dog walker killed in carjacking at hands of Jahmed Haynes eight times convicted felon with history of mental illness.
An 80 year old Seattle dog walker has died after she was killed at the hands of an eight time felon on Tuesday during a carjacking before the career criminal with a history of mental health issues also stabbing her dog to death.
Jahmed Haynes, 48, is suspected of dragging Ruth Dalton, 80, in her own vehicle during the alleged car theft, near the intersection of Martin Luther King Junior Way East and East Harrison Street in the Madison Valley neighborhood, just before 10 a.m. on Tuesday, according to Seattle police.
At the time of the violent attack, Dalton – who started her dog walking business ‘Grandma’s Critter Care’ 35 years ago – had several dogs inside her vehicle that she had just walked at a park.
Seattle carjacking gone wrong
At some point, Haynes had gotten into the passenger side of Dalton’s blue Subaru SUV and attempted to push her out of the driver’s door while at least two dogs were inside the vehicle.
Dalton was dragged outside of the car during a struggle with Haynes while the felon veered off the road, striking a planter and grass patch according to SPD Deputy Chief Eric Barden.
‘That is when citizens stopped their cars in the road to come and assist (Dalton),’ Barden said at a press conference Wednesday morning.
‘One of the citizens came up to the car to engage with the suspect and (Haynes) produced a knife.’
The witness backed off and grabbed a ‘large stick or a bat’ to confront the carjacker.
Haynes reversed the vehicle into two parked cars, only to run over Dalton before speeding off and leaving the 80 year old to die.
Witnesses attempted life-saving CPR on the fallen woman, but to no avail, KING 5 reported.
Career felon arrested
On Wednesday, SWAT arrested Haynes at his Capitol Hill area residence and found a bloody knife and keys to Dalton’s car, the police said. Just five miles away, cops found the lifeless body of her dog Prince and her vehicle.
Not content with murdering Dalton, Haynes had then tortured her beloved dog to death, police say.
Detectives later connected Haynes to both crime scenes using a fingerprint discovered on Dalton’s phone.
Dalton was booked into King County Correctional Facility.
Homicide detectives are expected to request charges for Murder in the 1st Degree under the felony murder rule, and Animal Cruelty in the 1st Degree.
Haynes has a ‘history of mental health concerns,’ Barden said.
Amongst his previous crimes, Dalton was convicted of vehicular homicide and hit and run in 1993, plead guilty to a controlled substance on school ground charge in 1995 and convicted of 1st Degree Robbery in 1999, Fox 13 reported.
80 year old Seattle dog walker remembered
His most recent arrest was in 2005 for an undisclosed case, according to Barden.
Dalton was remembered as a lovely neighbor following her death.
‘She is somebody that people really loved, and she’s been a neighborhood fixture in the Madison Park neighborhood for a long time,’ said Susan Lindsay, Dalton’s friend told KOMO. ‘She (is) going to be so missed, and people really loved her.’
‘I hope she’s at peace. We all love her, everybody loves her, and I know she’s looking down,’ Melanie Roberts, Dalton’s granddaughter, told the outlet. ‘She was feisty. It doesn’t surprise me in the least that she would try to make sure her client’s dogs were safe. She wouldn’t have thought two seconds about herself.’
Residents and locals have since erected a makeshift memorial near the scene where Ruth Dalton was violently assailed by her killer earlier this week…
