Friend remembers Wallingford arson victim as sole suspect is released

A man suspected of setting a fire that killed a 72-year-old woman in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood is now free.

King County prosecutors have dropped the first-degree murder charges against him after police found new evidence suggesting it wasn’t him.

KIRO 7 spoke exclusively with a friend of the victim, who said the new development in the case has shaken her up.

But even before they received the news that the suspect in this arson is still out there, neighbors told KIRO 7 that walking by this home brings back the tragic memories.

“I’m so sorry that you suffered such a terrifying end,” Becca Duran said.

Duran remembers her longtime friend and neighbor, Susan Klee – or as she and other close friends called her, Lisette — as “just a treasured friend.”

“I still remember what she was wearing when I met her,” Duran added. “We used to go to art museums and galleries together. So, it was a wonderful relationship.”

Klee tragically died when her house caught fire back in June.

Seattle police arrested 25-year-old Letian Shi in July for first-degree murder after investigators believed he set the house ablaze.

“When arson was announced, I really became terrified,” Duran said.

During Shi’s arraignment last week, his defense repeatedly argued that police had the wrong guy from the get-go.

And over the weekend, the King County Prosecutor’s Office dropped the charges and released Shi, adding, “Seattle police investigators found new information and that raised some questions about the suspect’s identity.”

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As police continue searching for the right suspect, Duran says this means they have to continue to wait for closure, as she and this neighborhood hope justice comes soon.

“We all miss you very, very much,” she said.

Her friends say they do plan to hold a private memorial in Lisette’s honor.

Of course, if you have any information about this case, Seattle police want to hear from you.