A Washington state landlord has been convicted guilty of murdering two tenants whose mutilated bodies were discovered in luggage by TikTokers.
Michael Dudley, 64, was found guilty on Thursday of four counts of second-degree murder in the 2020 summer shootings of Jessica Lewis, 35, and her boyfriend Austin Wenner, 27. According to KING5, Dudley was convicted on four counts of second-degree murder.
According to prosecutors, the victims rented a room in Dudley’s Burien home and argued with him over overdue rent.
A neighbor reported hearing gunshots and a man pleading for his life on June 9, 2020. However, when police arrived at the residence, Dudley did not open the door.
According to prosecutors, Dudley fatally shot both tenants before dismembering their bodies and placing their remains in luggage, which he then tossed into various bodies of water.
Michael Dudley, 64, was found guilty on Thursday of four charges of second-degree murder in the state of Washington.
Ten days later, three youths filming TikTok videos on Alki Beach in West Seattle discovered and shot the suitcases containing human body parts.
The video rapidly went viral and had 30 million views on the social media network, which was criticized for refusing to remove the violent clip.
Several months later, the video was erased after family members of the victims demanded its removal.
In June of 2020, adolescents filming TikTok videos on Alki Beach in West Seattle discovered luggage containing the victims’ body parts.
Dudley might receive a sentence of life in prison without the chance of release.
Relatives of the murdered couple who were present in court on Thursday hailed the guilty verdicts, stating that justice has been done.
“The world is safer without Michael Dudley in it,” stated Charleen Kriens, Wenner’s mother. Everyone can sleep soundly tonight as a result of this.
On March 10, Dudley is due to be sentenced. He faces the potential of life in jail without parole.
»Washington landlord has been convicted in the TikTok suitcase murders«