Dori: Maple Valley widow says husband’s hit-and-run suspect could be released Monday

On a sunny Sunday morning in July, the body of Issaquah native and longtime Maple Valley distance runner Greg Moore, 53, was found in a ditch, after a 15-year-old SeaTac girl and her 14-year-old passenger allegedly struck the man as a “prank” while driving at least 50 miles per hour, according to King County Sheriff’s court records.

Why county isn’t prosecuting teen suspect in fatal Maple Valley hit-and-run as an adult

King County prosecutors later added another felony hit-and-run and second-degree assault charge against the teen driver when video emerged of the girl allegedly striking an unidentified pedestrian with a car in Des Moines. The video shows the teen laughing with a friend during the second incident.

Now, four months later, the SeaTac girl – who faces juvenile court second-degree murder and hit-and-run charges in Moore’s death – may be released from detention on Monday to a friend’s mother, pending a yet-undetermined trial date.

Moore’s widow, Michelle — who was alerted to the teen driver’s potential Nov. 15 release from a victim advocate – reached out to The Dori Monson Show to update listeners on the case.

“It’s something the defense is pushing for,” Michelle explained. “She could get released to the mother of her girlfriend, live quite comfortably and go to school. Apparently, she doesn’t like being detained.”

What, Dori wondered, “went through your heart? Your mind? Your gut?” when you heard this news.

“I would like to say ‘shocked,’ but I don’t even think that’s the right word because I’m not shocked anymore,” Michelle said. “It’s like we’re living in an alternate universe and she’s the victim.”

“Not putting people in jail doesn’t stop crime,” Michelle told Dori’s listeners. “It emboldens criminals.”

The King County prosecutor’s office told the Dori Monson Show that they oppose the release. The victim advocate that spoke to Michelle Moore works for the prosecutor’s office.

Listen to Dori’s entire interview with Michelle here:

Just five months ago, Michelle recalls, “Greg and I were just a happy, quiet couple getting used to having our first grandchildren.”

Instead, she and friends plan to attend the teen’s Nov. 15 hearing at 12:30 p.m. at the Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center on Seattle’s First Hill to “exercise our constitutional rights, because this is not justice.”

Stay tuned to The Dori Monson Show on Monday for updates on this case.

Listen to the Dori Monson Show weekday afternoons from noon – 3 p.m. on KIRO Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

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