Jealousy apparent motive in deadly Kent stabbing

Casey McNerthney, a spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, said 40-year-old Antonio Solomon stabbed a man to death near a Circle K on April 7. That was the same night two other people died in Kent in an unrelated shooting, authorities said.

“There was evidence of a really brutal and violent attack,” McNerthney said. “The victim tried to de-escalate it and walk away, but it didn’t work. It was just really tragic, awful assault, that turned fatal.”

“While the Victim had his head down looking at his phone, the defendant violently stabbed him four times with extreme force, leaving the victim to die as he fled,” according to court documents. “The murder was unprovoked, incredibly violent, and planned by defendant.”

Suspect charged with first-degree murder, bail set at $5M

The victim was identified as Joseph Christopher Moore, 43. Solomon is charged with first-degree murder and is due in court on Thursday. A judge set his bail at $5 million.

The prosecution requested the bail amount because of concerns that he would not show up for court. Prosecutors said it is not clear whether he has stable employment, and that most of his family lives in Texas.

“Defendant has absolutely no ties to the State of Washington,” the documents said. “The defendant admitted to recently moving to Washington on February 15, 2026 to live with his girlfriend. The defendant does not have permanent housing in Washington. Defendant resides at a local hotel in Kent.”

On April 9, investigators tracked him down at the hotel and placed him under arrest.

Court documents said both men had been inside the store shortly before the attack and that Moore had spoken with the clerk, who was Solomon’s girlfriend.

Police interviewed her after Solomon was taken into custody. She told detectives she knew the victim through her work at the Circle K store, where he was a regular customer. She also told them she was dating Solomon and that before he moved to Washington from Texas, they would often speak to each other via video calls on FaceTime. She said Solomon saw Moore during one of those calls about a month before the stabbing, and suspected he was trying to hit on her, and warned him not to come back into the store again.

According to the Certification for Determination of Probable Cause, Solomon admitted he was at the store the night of the murder and confirmed he knew Moore. He told investigators, “He has a mouth on him.”

Solomon admitted to waiting for Moore outside and said he wanted to fight him. He also admitted to stabbing Moore, the document said.

Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.