MEDIA BIAS: Seattle media omit key details in reporting on brutal murder

Seattle mainstream media omitted key details in the reporting of a drug addict and prolific offender who confessed to viciously murdering his girlfriend with a hatchet, bolt cutters, and bongo drums in Shoreline, Wash.

According to court documents, the suspect "…had been reading the Quran prior to Rios’ arrival and that verses in the Quran seemed to indicate to him that it would be necessary for him to kill Rios." This was omitted from reporting on the crime.

Tyrone Bernard Wells, 41, who has multiple convictions and outstanding warrants, confessed to killing Randee Leeann Rios after she spent the night at his apartment on March 27. He has been charged with first-degree murder in King County Superior Court. Prosecutors requested Wells’ bail be set at $5 million to reflect the "extreme danger" he poses to the community, according to charging documents.

According to court documents, on March 27, Wells allegedly called 911 at 7:21 AM and told dispatchers he wanted to "report a murder." Wells allegedly told dispatchers "the murder was on my account… I murdered her," and that he used a hatchet and a pair of bolt cutters to kill the woman.

According to law enforcement, upon arriving at the complex, Wells, with blood on his clothes, was waiting for them. Officers discovered a dead woman inside Wells’ apartment, in an "extremely bloody" scene, laying face down with "major trauma about the head."

According to court documents, Wells had been awake for four days and was a methamphetamine user, had the "premeditation" to kill her at the time he invited her over and told police he had been "…reading the Quran prior to Rios' arrival and that verses in the Quran seemed to indicate to him that it would be necessary for him to kill Rios."

Additionally, he struggled "…with the thought of whether or not he would actually go through with murdering her."

After the pair had sex and watched movies, Rios fell asleep and then Wells decided to murder her. According to court documents, Wells tapped Rios on the side of the head with a battery charger because he "...wanted her to be fully aware of what he was about to do to her," and described his actions as "barbaric" and "premeditated."

According to court documents, Wells then allegedly struck Rios in the head with the hatchet blade several times, then switched to hitting her with the Bongo drums, and then bolt cutters after, when he realized she was still alive.

Wells attempted to contact a neighbor to "smoke marijuana" after the killing, but found that his neighbor wasn’t home. He then tried to call his father, but could not reach him, according to court documents. Wells told law enforcement his mother told him to call 911 after he called her to tell her what happened.

According to court documents, Wells wrote a letter of apology to Rios' mother before he was booked into jail saying, "Please excuse me for added grief and sadness I caused on your heart."

However, all of the local media outlets omitted mentioning the Quran and some even left out the drug usage, even though all cited the same court documents.

According to journalist Brandi Kruse, KING 5 originally mentioned the drug use and Quran in their written report, but then the details appeared to have been "scrubbed," though they still appeared in Google searches for the article. The article shows that it was updated at least once, 24 hours after it was originally published.

KIRO 7 did not mention the meth or reading the Quran in either media and neither did KOMO 4. FOX 13 mentioned the meth us but omitted the reading of the Quran.

The Seattle Times failed to mention the Quran and downplayed the role of the drug use in the confession and even went so far as to claim, "The charges don’t provide a motive for Rios’ slaying."

Wells is expected to enter a plea during his arraignment at the King County courthouse, scheduled for April 13.

A GoFundMe has been created to help Rios' family with the costs for the funeral. Rios is survived by a 9-year-old son.