Investigators say a Seattle man charged with murdering his girlfriend last month was already awaiting sentencing on separate child rape charges.
John Curran was booked into the King County jail Wednesday morning on charges of second-degree murder. According to a police report, Curran allegedly killed the woman Sept. 29 in a Seattle home owned by his parents.
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the woman’s cause of death to be internal bleeding in the lower abdomen area, the report noted. She also sustained multiple injuries caused by blunt force trauma.
In addition, Curran filmed and narrated videos of her while she was unconscious, the report said.
As requested by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, the court set his bail at $3 million.
The earlier child rape case against Curran
Curran is also accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl he coached in Snohomish County.
According to a story the Mukilteo Beacon published earlier this year, the victim disclosed to police she had been sexually assaulted by Curran multiple times throughout 2020 when she was 15. Curran worked with the victim when he was a volleyball coach and mentor to children. He worked with special needs students at Everett High School and was a former team leader at the Mukilteo Boys & Girls Club.
The Snohomish County case was filed in August 2021. Curran was charged with sexually assaulting the victim. Earlier this year, prosecutors had added another charge of third-degree child molestation, The Everett Herald noted. Curran pleaded not guilty on all counts.
King County prosecutors charged the defendant with rape of a child in the third degree in January 2022, stemming from the Snohomish County investigation that involved the same victim.
According to the police report from the investigation in Seattle, Curran said he was “going to prison in 10 days” and added that he was innocent, but pleaded guilty anyway.
For the Snohomish County charges, Curran was scheduled to receive the judge’s verdict — after earlier agreeing to a bench trial — and potentially be sentenced next week, the Herald reported. “Since the initial charges, prosecutors did not object to Curran remaining out of custody,” the outlet added.
Looking at why he remained out of custody
King County Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson Casey McNerthney noted there were reasons why Curran remained out of custody.
“Even with the serious nature of the charge, prosecutors did not have a conviction history to show or a history of failing to appear in court – and without that we couldn’t overcome the statewide presumption of release that’s outlined in court rules …” McNerthney said in an email to KIRO Newsradio.
“The way prosecutors can argue for someone to be held is if there is a likelihood that a defendant will commit a violent offense, will try to intimidate witnesses or interfere with the administration of justice, or fail to appear for court dates,” McNerthney continued.
He added rape of a child in the third degree isn’t classified as a violent offense under state law.
“Even with the seriousness of the King County charge, it’s highly unlikely for a judge to hold a defendant with the requirements of that court rule and with the information available,” McNerthney said to KIRO Newsradio. He added the following factors: “No known criminal history, already out of custody in Snohomish County, not missing court dates when out of custody in Snohomish County, no new law violations, no evidence of trying to interfere with the case.”