Man admits to stabbing, killing stranger who was playing craps at Muckleshoot Casino

The Auburn Police Department is investigating a murder at the Muckleshoot Casino Resort early Sunday morning that was originally reported as “completely random.”

Around 1:30 a.m., a man was stabbed in the neck while sitting at one of the casino tables, according to Auburn police. Officials promptly provided first aid, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The man was 29 years old.

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“Everybody was actually around a lady that was next to him because she was winning. There were a bunch of people there. And suddenly, we hear a lot of screaming,” Beverly Sarmiento, a witness to the violent crime, told KIRO 7. “There was screaming and a guy took off his shirt, gave it to (the victim) and started pressing on (the wound).”

According to court documents, the alleged murderer, Ricky Fuentes, walked up behind the man while he was sitting at a gaming table, pulled out a boxcutter and stabbed him. There was no fight before or conversation between the two.

Court documents state the wound started at the center of the man’s throat and “extended toward the right side of his neck.” The man was “spurting blood across the carpeted floor of the Casino.”

The Fuentes was arrested and, according to Auburn police, said he did not know the man.

Fuentes told officers he took the bus to the casino with the intent to kill an associate of his. He wandered around looking for his associate for around three hours but couldn’t find him. Since he didn’t find his original target, he started looking for someone else to kill, according to court documents.

Fuentes also told officers he saw the man “being a bully” at a craps table and decided to kill him. He then admitted to officers he stabbed the man in the neck.

“A lot of people witnessed it and it’s just the absolute heinous act and you know there’s really no explanation for it,” Kolby Crossley, a spokesperson for Auburn Police, told KIRO 7. “Random attacks are so rare. Most of the time, it’s targeted. Since I’ve been here, which is almost three years, I haven’t heard anything like this happening.”

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Fuentes, a 31-year-old man, was booked into the King County Jail. According to KIRO 7, he has an extensive rap sheet.

On Wednesday, Fuentes was charged with first-degree murder, and his bail was set at $5 million. He remains in custody while his next court date is scheduled for May 8.

Contributing: KIRO 7 and Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.