Grandparents had just arrived from midwest before fatal North Seattle crash

Dennis and Judith Schulte had just arrived in Seattle from the Midwest, a move they made to be near their newborn grandson.

They were killed Monday when a suspected drunken driver slammed into them as they crossed a street during a walk with their grandson and his mother. The crash left the other two family members in critical condition Tuesday.

“They were so elated. This is their only grandchild,” said Judith Schulte’s sister, Susan Morton.

Morton said the retired Indiana couple was walking with their daughter-in-law, Karina Schulte, and her 10-day-old son when they were stuck.

>>>Donate: Help out Karina and her baby

On Tuesday a judge ordered that the suspect in the deadly North Seattle crash that left the Schultes dead and critically injured two be held on $2.5 million bail.

King County District Court Judge Mark C. Chow found probable cause to hold Mark W. Mullan on two counts of vehicular homicide and two counts of vehicular assault.

Police said Mullan, 50, struck four pedestrians near Eckstein Middle School Monday afternoon while driving under the influence of alcohol. According to court documents, his blood alcohol content was .22, nearly three times the legal limit of .08.

Prosecutors have until Thursday to formally charge him.

A police officer said in court documents that he smelled alcohol on Mullan’s breath and that Mullan showed impairment on sobriety tests.

Mullan’s license was suspended at the time of the crash at an intersection in a residential neighborhood, according to the documents. He told police he was unable to see the pedestrians because the sun was in his eyes, according to court documents.

It was unclear Tuesday whether Mullan had legal representation. A message left with an attorney who represented him in a drunken driving case in December was not immediately returned Tuesday.

Mullan didn’t answer reporters’ questions as police led him away from the crash scene in handcuffs Monday. Police said he stopped after the crash and was cooperative. A phone number listed for Mullan was disconnected.

Karina Schulte “had the baby in a sling on the front. He just hit all four of them,” said Morton, of Cottonwood, Minn., in a telephone interview with the Associated Press.

Morton said Karina Schulte, a 33-year-old from Chile, works as a pediatric nurse specialist and is dedicated to her work.

Dennis, 66, and Judith Schulte, 68, were longtime high school teachers; she taught English and was a head guidance counselor for years, while he taught math.

They had moved to Seattle from Kokomo, Ind., in February to witness the birth of their first grandchild. They had planned to spend six months in Seattle to be near their son’s family and were renting an apartment near the intersection where they were killed.

KING 5 reports Judith Schulte was already living on borrowed time. She was diagnosed with lymphoma two years ago and her friend friend Carolyn Thompson said she was holding on to see her grandchild.

“They wanted to be there when he was born. They got to hold him and be there with him for 10 days,” Morton said.

In court Tuesday, the prosecution revealed that Mullan has two DUI convictions dating back to the 1990’s, a recent DUI conviction in Seattle and a pending DUI case in Snohomish County that involved hit and run of property. If driving, he was supposed to be driving with an ignition interlock device.

Mullan waived his right to appear in court and was represented by a public defender who declined to comment on the case.

The surviving victims, a woman and her 10-day-old infant, remain in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center.

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Friends of the family have created a donation page to help with medical expenses. You can find out more here.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.