The man who police say randomly stabbed a man to death near the Queen Anne Dick’s Drive-In has a history of mental illness and told investigators “F*** whitey … take me to jail, I am ready for my 50 years,” court records state.
The suspect, Leon Caril II, could spend his life in prison if he is convicted in the stabbing death of Andrew Dean Pimentel. The conviction would be his third strike after previous felony robbery convictions.
Pimentel and friends were at Ozzie’s bar on lower Queen Anne the night of Thursday, June 22. They then headed to Dick's three blocks away.
Shortly after 2 a.m. on Friday morning Caril seemed to be annoyed at the crowd at Dick’s outdoor seating and began throwing things at them. A 2-liter plastic bottled rolled near one of Pimentel’s friends who responded by telling Caril “That’s a good way to get your ass kicked.”
Caril came across the street yelling “I’ll show you ass kicked!” and stabbed Pimentel in the chest three times with a roughly 9-inch double-edged bowie knife, police said.
Pimentel took a few steps, then collapsed in the street.
“Are you crazy?,” a witness yelled. “What are you doing?"
“Do you want to get stabbed too?,” Caril responded, according to court documents.
TRENDING NOW:
· Body found in locked Walmart bathroom that employees assumed was out of order for days
· PHOTOS: Most wanted for back child support (June 26, 2017 update)
· PHOTOS: Top places to watch Lake Union Fourth of July fireworks
· VIDEO: Black Lives Matter protest at Seattle Pride Parade
“After looking around at the crowd as if selecting his next victim, the defendant walked back across Queen Anne Avenue (North) to collect his belongings,” senior deputy prosecutor Adrienne T. McCoy wrote in charging documents. “The defendant then walked away, carrying his luggage. The police found the defendant in a nearby alley with his luggage. Inside was the bloody knife he used to kill Andrew.”
Caril was found in the alley west of the 300 block of Queen Anne Avenue North.
“F*** America, f*** white boys, f*** white people,” police said Caril told them. “Arrest me.”
He admitted to stabbing Pimentel in the chest with the knife police recovered, court records show. Caril is expected to have an arraignment where he’ll enter a plea next month.
“I’m ready to go to motherf****** jail,” police said him told them. “I’m ready to serve my 50 years.”
History of mental health treatment
In fall 1997, Caril was convicted of four robbery counts for convenience store holdups on four separate occasions. In 2002 he was convicted of robbing a convenience store employee with a knife. He spent several years in prison and was released in 2010.
In a 2016 court letter, a clinician from Sound Mental Health in Seattle wrote that Caril received mental health and medicine management services there since May 2010. He picked up prescribed medications and checked through Sound Mental Health on Tuesdays; the letter didn’t detail which medications Caril was taking.
“He has recently shown increased motivation in working toward achieving his goals, and is most stable when he is able to maintain the aforementioned routine,” wrote clinician Olga Rublinetska, who assisted him with a Starbucks job application and also helped Caril with considering “what other types of employment may be suitable for him at this time.”
The following month, Caril pleaded guilty to assault and was ordered to undergo another mental health evaluation.
Earlier this month, Caril was back in Seattle Municipal Court for a domestic violence assault case. He was charged with assault on June 17, the day after his arrest in the case and six days before Pimentel’s fatal stabbing.
An assistant city attorney asked for bail at $3,000, which was denied. A defense attorney’s motion for release was granted.
On advice of his attorney, Caril asserted his Fifth Amendment privilege for any pretrial testimony or statements regarding possession of firearms or dangerous weapons in that case.
Dick’s continues police presence on weekend nights
"We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of one of our customers after being attacked early this morning near our Queen Anne restaurant,” Dick’s Drive-In staff said in a statement the day of Pimentel’s death. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.
“Customers and employees should know that we will have off-duty police officers at our Queen Anne location tonight and Saturday night as normally scheduled. We are working with SPD in any way we can to aid the investigation."
Pimentel’s case is the ninth homicide in Seattle in 2017, the first random killing, and the fourth fatal stabbing.
That number does not include the August 20 police shooting of Damarius Butts, who shot three officers before he was killed, and Charleena Lyles, who was killed June 20 in a confrontation with police at her apartment.
TRENDING NOW:
· Body found in locked Walmart bathroom that employees assumed was out of order for days
· PHOTOS: Most wanted for back child support (June 26, 2017 update)
· PHOTOS: Top places to watch Lake Union Fourth of July fireworks