Police search for man charged in Puyallup bloody carpet killing
Sep 6, 2014, 12:06 PM | Updated: 12:06 pm
A Puyallup man on the run has been charged with murder for the killing of a man found dead in his South Hill home in a case that started with a burning, bloody carpet in Auburn.
Pierce County prosecutors filed a first degree murder charge Friday against Michael Clifford Boisselle, 34, and issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
Boisselle, a convicted sex offender, is accused of shooting Brandon Shane Zomalt, 30, to death and disposing the bloody evidence alongside a road in Auburn.
Police began investigating Aug. 13, 2014, after an off-duty federal agent spotted a fire on the side of Peasley Canyon Road in Auburn. After stopping to put it out, he found it was fueled by bloodied carpet, clothing and towels.
A man standing near the fire fled in his dark SUV when he saw the agent.
After analyzing blood samples, the Washington State Patrol’s crime lab determined the blood belonged to Zomalt. The man hadn’t been heard from by family or friends for several weeks, investigators said.
Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies performing a welfare check discovered Zomalt’s severely decomposed body in the garage of a home Sept. 1. Detectives later determined Boisselle rented the home and allowed Zomalt to temporarily stay there.
Court documents say Boisselle told witnesses he shot Zomalt because he was “frustrated with him” and didn’t want him staying with him any longer.
Flooring missing from the home also matched the bloody flooring that was found burning in Auburn.
Investigators say Boisselle told his mother he needed to flee the area immediately and she would not hear from him again.
The Pierce County Medical Examiner determined Zomalt died from multiple gunshot wounds to the torso and head.
Officials say Boisselle is armed and extremely dangerous. Anyone with information is asked to call Pierce County Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
