Port Orchard murder suspect arrested in Oregon

A man wanted for murder in Kitsap County has turned himself in without incident in Wilsonville, Oregon. He’s suspected of the murder of his girlfriend, and the release of photos from the crime scene.

Police say David Michael Kalac, 33, is the lone suspect in the murder of 30-year-old Amber Lynn Coplin, who was found dead in her Port Orchard apartment Tuesday afternoon.

Investigators noted that she sustained “obvious indications of homicidal violence.”

Officers in Portland spotted his girlfriend’s gold Ford Focus at an intersection around 1 a.m. Wednesday and tried to pull it over, but the driver took off, leading police on a high-speed chase. Officers terminated the pursuit after the car began swerving into oncoming traffic.

Portland police believe the driver was Kalac, but Kitsap County detectives have not confirmed.

The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Department reported late Wednesday the missing car had been found abandoned in Portland.

The gold-colored 2001 Ford Focus 4-door is now in the custody of Portland police.

Kitsap County Sheriff’s detectives will send a recovery team to retrieve the vehicle and return it to Kitsap County, where it will be placed into a secure storage facility, said a spokesman. Detectives will obtain a search warrant to examine the vehicle for possible evidence.

Sheriff’s detectives continue their investigation into the homicide.

Graphic, postmortem photos of Coplin were posted online before authorities learned of the death.

The photos included text indicating law enforcement would know about the death once one of the woman’s relatives found her body.

“Check the news for port orchard Washington in a few hours. Her son will be home from school soon. He’ll find her, then call the cops. I just wanted to share the pics before they find me. I bought a bb gun that looks realistic enough. When they come, I’ll pull it and it will be suicide by cop.”

According to court documents, the images posted online matched Coplin’s body and inside of her apartment. Investigators believe that Kalac is responsible for posting the images to the website with comments about how Coplin was killed.

The documents say Coplin’s 13-year-old son told police the two argued loudly Monday night. He returned from school, found his mother, and contacted his father, who responded to the apartment and called 911.

Kitsap County issued a warrant for murder in the second degree with bail set at $2 million. The warrant is extraditable nationwide.

Kalac has a history of violent behavior and is considered armed and “very dangerous,” according to police. He is known to have knives and a machete.

In addition to Coplin’s missing car, investigators say Kalac’s clothing and personal and electronic items are no longer in the apartment.

The South Kitsap County School District placed its schools on modified lockdown Wednesday morning while deputies combed the area for Kalac. The lockdown was lifted after deputies told the district they didn’t believe he was in Washington state.