Murdered Seattle dog walker to be honored with plaque

Wednesday marks the one-year anniversary of the death of a beloved grandmother and dog-walker.

80-year-old Ruth Dalton and her dog Prince were killed in Madison Park. On Wednesday, at 5:30 p.m. near 43rd Avenue East and Madison Street, Seattle will unveil a memorial plaque along Madison Park — near where Dalton would walk her neighbor’s dogs along the beach.

Dalton loved taking all the neighborhood dogs on walks. Friends of Dalton hope people will remember her as a kind woman and gentle soul.

“Ruth was just doing her job and doing what she loved to do when she was brutally murdered,” her friend Gina Purdy told KIRO Newsradio.

Seattle dog walker killed in August 2024

On August 20, 2024, Dalton was in her car, about to walk her dog, when suspect Jahmed Haynes allegedly killed them.

Haynes paced back and forth in front of Dalton, as she sat inside her car, according to court documents. Police said Haynes then attacked Dalton, pulling her out of her car before running over her. Several witnesses tried to intervene, including one man who grabbed a bat, but police said Haynes pulled out a knife.

Dalton’s car was found later near Madison Park. Police said Dalton’s dog, Prince, was also found stabbed to death and left inside a recycling bin in the park.

Family and friends of Dalton packed the courtroom before Haynes’ arraignment in September.

Dalton’s granddaughter, Melanie Roberts, was hoping to face Haynes in person. However, Roberts said she’s not surprised the suspect refused to come out of his jail cell.

“I feel like it’s a coward’s way out,” Roberts said in a hallway outside the courtroom. “He messed with the wrong woman and I think he understood pretty quickly that she was fighting him and she wasn’t an easy grandma.”

Haynes has an extensive criminal history, including vehicular manslaughter and robbery. In this case, he was charged with murder in the first degree, assault in the second degree, and animal cruelty in the first degree.

Suspect deemed unfit to stand trial

Haynes was asked to undergo a mental evaluation. However, in April 2025, Haynes was deemed unfit to stand trial.

Purdy and others told KIRO Newsradio, while they understand, they also want justice, and they are calling on the city to do something about crime.

“We’re fed up with this, and we don’t want to live this way anymore,” Purdy said. “We shouldn’t live in a city and in our homes and be frightful. That’s just not how it’s supposed to be.”

Contributing: Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest

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