Tuba_Man.jpg
Ed McMichael or 'Tuba Man' at a game. (AP Photo)

Teen brags about murder; Tuba Man's brother reacts

BY Stephanie Klein  on January 19, 2011 @ 6:33 am (Updated: 1:30 pm - 3/28/11 )

By STEPHANIE KLEIN
MyNorthwest.com

The brother of a Seattle street musician who died after he was beat by a group of teenagers is upset one of the killers is bragging about the crime.

Kelsey McMichael told KIRO Radio's Dori Monson on Wednesday, "The bottom line is there was no justice for Ed at all. No justice. They killed him."

Listen: McMichael's interview

King County Sheriff's Sergeant John Urquhart said Billy Chambers, 18, was arrested Monday night after causing a disturbance aboard a Metro Bus at the Northgate transit center. He allegedly refused to pay the fare and stopped the bus from pulling away.

Urquhart said when officers arrived, "[Chambers] bragged how his lawyer got him off with only three months after stomping 'Tuba Man' to death. He went on to say that his lawyer would get him off of these charges as well."

Listen to Urquhart's interview

Chambers was one of three teens who beat McMichaels or 'Tuba Man' in November 2008. McMichaels died from his injuries a week later. He was well-known in the Seattle area for playing outside sporting and entertainment events.

Chambers spent three months in juvenile detention for McMichael's death.

"On his death certificate it says cause of death: Homicide. And what did they get? A few months for assault. That's it," McMichaels said. "There was nothing we could do. We felt helpless even though the prosecutors tried to keep us informed about all aspects of the investigation, but there was just nothing we could do about it."

Urquhart said Chambers was issued two tickets: one for obstructing or delaying a transit vehicle, which is a misdemeanor, and another for false representation that his group was eligible for a special fare, which is also a misdemeanor. Chambers was booked into King County Jail, but has been released.

Urquhart explained that Chambers was let go the next day after an equipment malfunction prevented prosecutors from receiving the case report in time to present to the judge. He said Chambers booked into jail based on his conduct Monday night and nothing more.

Chambers was also released two weeks ago after serving time for another robbery.

KIRO Radio's Dan Mitchinson contributed to this report.

Stephanie Klein, MyNorthwest.com Editor
Stephanie joined the MyNorthwest.com team in February 2008. She has built the site into a two-time National Edward R. Murrow Award winner (Best Radio Website 2010, 2012).
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Comments (51)


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  • lofat wrote...
    Surprise...Surprise...Surprise
    January 19, 2011 7:49 am
    Well he got arrested becouse he got caught doing crime again. How much crime do you thing he commited before he got caught this time ? Stay tuned for more crime to come from this criminal.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • MG345 wrote...
    Kline
    January 19, 2011 8:18 am
    Maybe if sweet little Billy stomped Kline he change his mind about three strikes.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • 770 Sports Fan wrote...
    W0W!!! Three Months for murder?
    January 19, 2011 8:28 am
    It's sad that there are not half as many people outraged about the "Tuba man's" death as the "wood carver's". I would like to know if the death of the "Tuba Man" even counted as a strike?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Goody wrote...
    I've have 'twenty somethings' in my juvenile justice class calling me pregnant.
    January 19, 2011 8:36 am
    Well, you know where and what their attention is on, sex! Forget about the years of abuse. Forget about family conflict. Forget about the inadequacies of the juvenile courts (sex)!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Kneer wrote...
    String him up...
    January 19, 2011 8:37 am
    ...at the Int'l Fountain @ Seattle Center. A bullet is worth too much for this peice of trash.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Loud Larry wrote...
    a sweet kid who loves his grandma
    January 19, 2011 8:39 am
    R.I.P. Tuba Man. http://www.seattlepi.com/jamieson/386267_robert04xx.html The following is a documented list of crimes that Chambers had been arrested for BEFORE he was arrested (and released) for killing Tuba Man: possession of a deadly weapon on school premises, possession of stolen property, assaulting a Metro driver. Now he is bragging about committing murder while in TEMPORARY custody on another Metro bus disturbance charge. Will state senator Adam Kline please step forward to take this obvious victim of the system under his wing? BTW, how’s that bus commute working out?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • chellesbelles wrote...
    What exactly
    January 19, 2011 8:40 am
    does this little b*stard have to do in order to go to jail for the rest of his miserable life? It's obvious he has no normal human emotions, I mean really, who brags about a murder? He's a psychopath and I'm sure it won't be long before we are reading about either him killing someone else, or someone killing him.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • BMC wrote...
    hillbilly thinkin'....
    January 19, 2011 9:06 am
    ajhad: wher's them trigger happy cops when ya need one???? Gues' ya scared 'em off this one......Halliday ya might consider takin' this case pro bono...sounds like sumthin' y'all might be interested in....... BMC
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • therealajmccarrell wrote...
    @ BMC Spanish Gaucho Thinkin'
    January 19, 2011 9:29 am
    As I said on the post about the police assaulting the jaywalker, the abuser personality only chooses confrontations with those substantially weaker than themselves. The average REAL DV abuser is usually a kiss-up at work and generally does well, but is a terror to anyone he feels he can overpower and get away with hurting. So, of course the police aren't going to go after killers like this kid because they fight back. They're going to go after blowhard, alcoholic, homeless woodcarvers and people on the fringes of society because they know they can get away with it and because they don't fight back. The occupation with the highest instances of Domestic Violence is that of Police Officer. It's no mystery why these kinds of things keep coming to light about them with new technology and the means to spread eyewitness accounts. It used to be that witness intimidation worked better. I support cameras on all officers.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Independentforlife wrote...
    Three strikes your out
    January 19, 2011 9:37 am
    This person is a thug and does not care or will not change what and who he is the system and his lack of respect is from our toleration of his behavior and his lack of guidance at home. Put the thug away for life before he kills again and he will kill again. Wake the heck up.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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