Michael LaRosa, the 26-year-old mentally ill man accused of hacking a man to death with a hatchet at 15th and Union, has now been charged in a second grisly murder:
LaRosa is now facing a new murder charge in connection with the slaying of Dale Richard Holme on Nov. 21 in Seattle’s Chinatown International District. Holme, 64, died of his injuries a few days later at Harborview Medical Center.
The Seattle Times also reports that authorities have determined LaRosa is competent to stand trial. LaRosa told police that he has been “diagnosed as being schizophrenic and Bi-Polar” and had stopped taking his medication because it “did not make him feel good and he did not like the side effects,” according to court documents.
LaRosa has pleaded not guilty to both charges.
LaRosa was sent to Western State Hospital to be evaluated for his competency to stand trial in the Thanksgiving week murder of 14th Ave resident Joe LaMagno. Police had said LaRosa was a suspect in the Holme murder in their report filed with the original murder charges.
Here is an account of the attack on Holme from the police report filed on the November 21st attack — the next day, LaRosa is alleged to have murdered LaMagno at 15th and Union.
In the findings of fact from the competency process, Judge Ronald Kessler determined that the report from Western State Hospital showed that LaRosa understands the nature of the proceedings against him, is able to effectively assist his lawyers and understands the consequences of a change of plea.
