KENT, Wash. — A Kent suspect charged with first-degree murder is out of jail after posting a $2 million dollar bail. The suspect, 19-year-old Elijah Cain, is accused of shooting a man in the head at a Kent park on June 15.
Defendants must pay up to 10% of the bail amount to be released pre-trial, and court documents indicate Cain’s family posted the $200,000 to have him released.
Cain is now on electronic home monitoring, but some people in Kent say the situation still has them feeling uneasy.
Cain, who was 18 at the time of the murder, is accused of shooting a man in the head at Morrill Meadows Park, killing him. The park is right next to the YMCA and an elementary school.
“I heard the gunshots,” said a neighbor who didn’t want to be named because of safety concerns. “Someone got shot in the head. Seeing the body was kind of traumatizing.”
The shooting happened just after 6:30 p.m. during daylight hours.
The victim is 30-year-old Miles Clark. His online obituary describes him as a Western Washington University grad who worked as a tech support engineer.
Prosecutors said a friend of the suspect noticed the victim, Clark, was sitting at picnic benches at the park working on his laptop while wearing a holstered gun.
Court documents say Cain armed himself, and that “Cain told detectives that his intention had been to grab Clark’s gun off of his hip and run away with it. He said he was going to try and sell it online to get a little money.”
And one point the two “wrestled over Cain’s gun until Cain was able to regain control and point the gun at Clark. Cain then pulled the trigger, firing a round into Clark’s head,” prosecutors said.
Clark died at the hospital.
Kent police arrested Cain about a month later and he was charged with first-degree murder and theft of a firearm.
His bail was set at $2 million, which is considered a high bail.
“Any time you have bail over $1 million dollars - in this case, it’s $2 million - that means there is a clear indication to the court this is a very significant case,” said a spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Casey McNerthney.
As first reported by the Kent Reporter, the suspect’s family was able to post that bail, paying $200,000. Cain is now out on home electronic monitoring in Puyallup at his parents’ home.
People who are hearing of the suspect’s release from jail say it doesn’t seem right.
“It seems like the system is rigged and too easy. Seems like he should be locked up,” said Kyle Strada, who was in Kent on Wednesday.
Neighbors who heard that gunfire are worried too.
“It’s kind of scary because people like that really shouldn’t be out, but it is what it is – it’s the system,” said the neighbor who declined to share his name.
Cain’s defense attorney sent a statement saying two judges determined that electronic home monitoring is appropriate.
“Two separate King County Superior Court judges each determined that electronic home monitoring is an appropriate and adequate measure to ensure community safety as Mr. Cain awaits resolution of his case,” wrote defense attorney Matthew McGowan. “It should be remembered that Mr. Cain has no prior criminal history and is presumed innocent of all charges at this time.”
We reached out to the family of victim Miles Clark for comment but did not receive a response on Wednesday.
Cain has pleaded not guilty. His trial date is currently scheduled for January 22, 2024.
The Kent Reporter said that Cain is a 2023 graduate of Kentridge High School and earned second-team all-league basketball honors last season for the school.
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