Renton detectives say a 20-year-old New Jersey man who randomly opened fire on people in two cars at the Hood Canal Bridge Tuesday morning was also a wanted suspect in the murder and mutilation of a Bellevue woman the day before.
Renton police believe Krishna Mahadevan-Prasad, an active-duty member of the military, stabbed a 38-year-old woman to death in a room at the Econo Lodge motel at 4710 Lake Washington Blvd.
Investigators say the woman had “numerous cut wounds to the body including what appeared to be intentional mutilation occurring after her death.”
"He was only in there for three minutes," said Renton Police Commander Dave Leibman. "There were obvious signs of a struggle. It looked like some kind of edged implement was used to commit the murder and then after the woman was deceased he went ahead and mutilated the body. For somebody to do what this man did was just unusual enough it would be hard to image that he just did this on the spur of the moment."
Investigators were desperate to locate Mahadevan-Prasad.
KIRO 7 discovered he was a new U.S. Army Ranger who had completed Ranger School at Fort Benning in Georgia. He reported to JBLM a couple of weeks ago. Police were working the the Army to locate him. They believe it is very likely he has other victims.
Police statewide were searching for Mahadevan-Prasad when the Washington State Patrol notified them that he opened fire on two cars at 3:45 a.m. Tuesday while waiting for the Hood Canal Bridge to open. WSP detectives believe Mahadevan-Prasad killed himself near his 1995 Honda Accord wagon, where they also found a rifle and a shotgun.
Renton police released a statement Tuesday asking for information about Mahadevan-Prasad.
“The circumstances of the Renton homicide have investigators concerned that Mahadevan-Prasad may be responsible for other acts of violence. Mahadevan-Prasad was active duty military and his travels are unknown,” said police.
The Renton Police Department is asking for the public's help in learning of Mahadevan-Prasad's
activities in the days leading up to the murder and during the time between the murder and his death.
If you have any information, please call the Renton Police Department.
More news from KIRO 7