Harger: A law meant to protect kids is now stalling teen murder investigations in WA
Feb 3, 2026, 7:59 AM | Updated: 5:34 pm
Nobody wants to see a kid get railroaded. Nobody wants a 14-year-old sitting in an interrogation room, scared and confused, waiving rights they don’t understand. When the legislature passed House Bill 1140 in 2021, which required juveniles in custody to consult an attorney before police questioning, the intent made sense.
Protect young people from coercion. Make sure they understand what’s happening.
But somewhere along the way, the pendulum swung too far. And now families are burying their children without answers.
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Unsolved cases
In January 2024, 15-year-old Mobarak Adam was shot and killed in a bathroom at the teen rec center across the street from Chief Sealth High School. He was a freshman. He’d left campus with friends. Those friends were there when it happened. They saw something.
But, according to family members and media reports, investigators hit roadblocks trying to interview the teens who were with him. State juvenile privacy protections, they were told. Mobarak’s family held a march against gun violence. They pleaded for justice. They’re still pleading. The case remains unsolved.
In June 2024, 17-year-old Amarr Murphy-Paine was shot outside Garfield High School during lunch. He was a junior. A peacemaker, people said. He saw a fight and tried to break it up. That’s the kind of kid he was. Witnesses saw what happened. They saw the shooter run away.
Interim Seattle Police Chief Sue Rahr said publicly that the 2021 law prevented officers from questioning some witnesses. Amarr’s family waited for arrests that never came. They filed a lawsuit. They’re doing what they can. But their son’s killer is still out there. Still free. The case remains unsolved.
The law was written to protect juvenile suspects in custody. On paper, it was never supposed to block police from talking to witnesses. But the language is murky. The guidance is unclear. And when you’re a cop trying to solve a murder, the last thing you want is to blow the case because you talked to the wrong kid the wrong way. So officers are being careful. Overly careful, maybe. But can you blame them? The law is a confusing mess, and the consequences for getting it wrong fall on them.
The result? Leads go cold. Witnesses scatter. Memories fade. And cases stay open. And families sit at kitchen tables staring at empty chairs.
In March 2024, two 16-year-olds were found shot to death along I-5. Their bodies dumped on the freeway hours apart. Whatever circumstances led them there, whatever choices they made or didn’t make, they were still 16 years old. They still have families who want to know what happened. Unsolved.
And just last Friday, two more teens were killed in Rainier Beach. Their families deserve answers. We don’t know yet what challenges investigators will face. But the pattern is hard to ignore.
There are ways to fix this without gutting the protections the law was meant to provide. Clarify the language so officers know exactly what’s allowed with witnesses versus suspects. It just requires the legislature to admit the law needs work.
The intent was good. The execution has been a disaster. And until someone fixes it, the cases keep going cold. The killers keep walking free. And the families keep waiting for answers that never come.
Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here.
