Prosecutor confirms brothers charged in Jungle shooting to face third trial
Apr 3, 2019, 4:34 PM
Seattle police shut down 4th Avenue South at I-90 to arrest three teenage suspects in connection to shooting in The Jungle in October 2016. (Jillian Raftery/KIRO Radio)
(Jillian Raftery/KIRO Radio)
Two of the brothers charged in the infamous Seattle jungle homeless camp murders of 2016 will face a third trial. The two previous attempts ended in mistrials.
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James and Jerome Taafulisia were 16 and 17 years old when they entered a homeless camp under I-5, the prosecutor says, intending to rob a drug dealer.
Accompanied by their 13-year-old brother, the two are accused of shooting and killing two people — Jeanine Zapata and James Tran — and injuring Phat Nguyen, Tracy Bauer, and Amy Jo Shinault.
The youngest of the three was convicted of murder and assault in juvenile court. He will remain in custody until he turns 20.
