The recycling bin where Lyne’s head and other remains were found. (Image: CHS)
King County prosecutors charged John Charlton with first degree murder Wednesday for allegedly killing a Renton mother of three, whose body parts were found in a Central District recycling bin on Saturday. The 37-year-old Snohomish man is suspected of dismembering Ingird Lyne, 40, in her home then dumping her body parts at 21st and Pine. Friends of Lyne, who worked as a nurse at Swedish Medical Center, said she had been dating Charlton for a short period of time after the two met online.
“The tragic murder of Ingrid Lyne has left a family and community in a spiral of grief and anguish,” said King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg in a statement. “We may never understand why she was killed … but the police and prosecutors working on this case have done a tremendous job of piecing together a solid case against the person we believe to be responsible for her death.”
Lyne was reported missing on Saturday. She and Charlton planned to go on a date the night before, which included seeing the Mariners home opener. After Lyne’s dismembered body was discovered on Saturday at 21st and Pine, detectives searched her Renton home and found bits of flesh and a 15-inch pruning saw in her bathroom.
Charlton also faces a charge for stealing Lyne’s car, which he allegedly used to transport her remains to the Central District. The vehicle was eventually recovered in Belltown.
The body parts found by a Central District homeowner were officially identified as belonging to Lyne on Wednesday, though SPD officials said Monday they were certain of the victim’s identity. Officials said the Central District property was only a dumping location in the case and that Charlton had no other known connections to the area.
Charlton was arrested in Lake Stevens on Monday without incident. He told police he and Lyne had gone to the Mariners game then returned to her house in Renton. He said he was too drunk to remember what happened afterwards, but that Lyne likely drove him back to Seattle where he slept on a sidewalk. Detectives observed abrasions to his face and scratches to his hand and chest at the time of his arrest.
Charlton also told detectives that he was homeless, an alcoholic, and “not a normal person,” according to court documents. At the time of his arrest Charlton was staying with an ex-girlfriend in Lake Stevens, where he typically stayed two nights a week, she told police. She also said Charlton was a “mean drunk” and typically stayed in a shelter in Seattle.
Charlton has a criminal history stretching across six states that includes convictions for aggravated robbery and assault, and arrests for battery.
A King County Judge set Charlton’s bail at $2 million on Tuesday. Charlton is next scheduled to appear in court on April 27th.
A Central District homeowner discovered Lyne’s body parts on Saturday after emptying his bin which he thought was unusually heavy. After he called 911, investigators found a human head, an arm, part of a leg, and a foot. Since the face was intact, investigators were able to match it with Lyne’s photograph. The garbage bags used to wrap the remains matched an emptied box of bags at Lyne’s home, according to detectives.
I wish Inslee would reconsider his stance against the death penalty in this case.
If we’re not going to execute the Green River killer, we probably shouldn’t execute anyone
So to punish this scumbag, we should stoop to his level and murder him? What would that accomplish?
Yeah, I’m ok with that. Not pretending it’s morally defensible, but I’m ok with it anyway.
The death penalty is still legal in this state. Gov. Inslee will not allow them to be carried out while he is in office but once his term is up, the law can be carried out.
The reason the Green River Killer was offered a plea bargin was because in exchange he provided information re: the whereabouts of many of his victims that had not previously been found. This provided answers to many victims families (instead a lifetime of wondering) and that is why he was spared the death penalty.
@Jim98122x I understand you are OK with it, but what would state sanctioned murder accomplish in this case, other than satisfying some weird fetishes of a select group of people and yourself?
The Seattle Times article states that he will receive, if convicted, 21-28 years in jail. That seems like a very light sentence for someone who committed premeditated, first-degree murder in such a heinous fashion….and who has an extensive criminal history already. He deserves the death penalty, or at least life.
We’ll see if he’s connected to similar crimes in other parts of the country.
There’s no evidence yet that the murder itself was premeditated. Obviously the coverup took some thought and planning, but proving premeditation for the murder would be unlikely which is why they didn’t charge him with 1st degree murder. In addition to whatever murder conviction he ends up with, he can also be charged with a slew of crimes in association with what he did with her remains.
Oh, I stand corrected. They have charge him with murder 1 after saying that he was being held on investigation of murder 2. I wonder what evidence has come to light to justify a charge that includes premeditation for the murder itself. Interesting.
Am I alone in finding that photo ghoulish and inappropriate ? The seattle times is showing a picture of a person, not people peering into a bin.
Yes it’s dark but so is the story. Also, this is the only reason this story is connected to Capitol Hill at all…
thanks
I want to know who all those people are standing inside the crime scene tape.
It never ceases to amaze me that people still think the death penalty is some form of punishment. If someone murdered a member of my family, I would want them to live the healthiest, longest life they possibly could…..in prison. The death penalty is nothing but a medical procedure that puts them to sleep. If you asked any convict doing a life sentence, after he has served about 20 years, if he would like the death penalty and the resounding answer is “yes!”.
You can’t suffer if you are dead, you can’t be miserable if you are dead, and I would want you to be both of those things for as long as possible! Before anyone starts with the “country club” bulls**t, prison is no country club.
The flipside of the coin is that over 100 people have been released from death row that were innocent since the dna testing became widespread – we make way too many mistakes to have a policy of killing people. I know I would rather let 10 men do life than kill one innocent person.
As for the “feed them the rest of their life” argument – It costs taxpayers more money for a death penalty trial than it does to incarcerate them for the rest of their life.
So, the tough guy “kill ’em all” attitude does nothing but cost the state more money and let the offender get out of being punished, all because you think that being an angry moron is the way to go. Boy, you showed them!!!!
Kenny, your arguments are well-taken. But I would like to point out that someone who gets the death penalty has to rot in prison for many years (often 20) before they are executed, all the time knowing their ultimate fate. This seems like a pretty effective punishment to me.
I also want to know what an attractive, professional woman like her was doing dating a homeless alcoholic……..DAMN, wish I had met her before now!!!
It’s really tasteless to pass judgment on this poor, beautiful young mother who has lost her life & whose children’s lives will forever be colored by the loss. Perhaps keep those thoughts to yourself.