Homicide Victim Was Tied To Tree And Left For Days

EVERETT, WA - Snohomish County court documents say Michael T. Boon, the man who was found dead in Everett last week, died of exposure after he was tied to a tree and stripped of most his clothing during what appears to have been a poorly conceived robbery. Three people were arrested in connection with Boon's death, which is now considered a homicide.

Donita Marie Burkley, 33, Matthew Nicholas McGowan, 26, and Darron C. Weidman, 40, all from Everett, were taken to Snohomish County jail on Thursday. Burkley and McGowan are each facing second-degree murder charges; Weidman is looking at first-degree robbery.

According to a Probable Cause affidavit obtained by Patch, Everett police were initially called to a wooded area near 41st Street Southeast, by Frontier Communications and Evergreen Cemetery, just before 1 p.m. Jan. 4. When officers arrived they were directed down a path around the northwest corner of the cemetery.

About 100 yards down the path officers found Boon, 46, lying on his back with his hands above his head, bound together by a belt wrapped around a tree, wearing only a T-shirt, his underwear, and one sock.

Despite dried blood around his nose and mouth, Boon did not show any signs of visible trauma that could have caused his death, police said, noting it was also apparent Boon was alive when he was tied to the tree because the dirt and debris around him was pushed and piled, which police say likely happened while Boon was attempting to stand up and free himself.

The city's Major Crimes Team deduced early on that Boon died from homicidal means, having been tied to the tree, stripped, and left there, police said. But a witness who came forward right away helped shed even more light on what had occurred.

According to the witness, Burkley and Weidman had recently told a group of people that they and another man called "Black Matt" — later identified as McGowan — carried out a plan to rob Boon. Burkley was quoted telling the group that "Black Matt" performed the actual robbery, beat up Boon and tied him naked to a tree.

When investigators caught up to Burkley and Weidman, they learned Boon had originally talked to Weidman about paying for sex on Dec. 31. After discussing the arrangement, Weidman, Boon, and Burkley agreed Boon would pay $150 to $200 for a night with Burkley. They also reportedly discussed Boon paying for a hotel room.

However, Burkley reportedly admitted to investigators that she had no intention of having sex with Boon and that the entire agreement was just a pretense in order to rob Boon of money Burkley believed he possessed.

Together, Burkley, Weidman, McGowan, and Boon in the early hours of Jan. 1 went to an ATM to withdraw the agreed upon fee. The three suspects became annoyed, however, when a balance check revealed Boon didn't actually have the money he said — or thought — he had.

After checking the ATM the group began walking back toward their respective camps. During their walk, Burkley sent Weidman ahead to the camp they shared with McGowan to fetch a knife. But when he got there, Weidman got high and passed out in his tent instead, police said.

After Weidman separated from the group Boon continued to press Burkley to stay with him anyway; she agreed to return to his camp "to get rid of him," court documents show.

Back at Boon's camp, Boon offered his jacket for Burkley to sit on and was trying to convince her to stay with him for the night. Burkley told police she and Boon were kissing when McGowan came up from behind, beat Boon with a stick and choked him until he went unconscious.

During the struggle, and prior to his loss of consciousness, Boon reportedly apologized and repeatedly said he didn't want to die, Burkley said. She told investigators she tried to calm him by explaining that McGowan was only going to "put him to sleep."

After Boon was out McGowan rifled through his clothing while Burkley went through his jacket. McGowan also stripped Boon down to his underwear, undershirt, and one sock before tying Boon to a tree using Boon's belt.

Burkley said she left Boon's camp after Boon was tied up; McGowan followed shortly after.

Burkley arrived at her camp and quickly explained to Weidman all that had transpired before McGowan returned. Back together, the trio split up what belongings of Boon's they decided to keep before Weidman and McGowan left briefly to get rid of the stuff they didn't want.

McGowan reportedly kept Boon's wallet and debit card. Weidman kept Boon's cell phone.

None of them went back to Boon's camp at any time, police said, noting that Burkley even admitted to walking by it a few hours later. The temperature at the time was around 33 degrees, court documents show.

Roughly three days later Boon's body was found and removed. The following day, Jan. 5, the Snohomish County Medical Examiner determined Boon died from exposure/hypothermia.

Court documents did not offer a timeline for how long Boon was still alive while tied to the tree. The documents did, however, point out that Boon had numerous abrasions on his arms, indicating he struggled there for some time before his death.

Because of their alleged role in the ordeal, planning to rob Boon and tying him to the tree where he died, Burkley and McGowan face the steeper charge of murder. For allegedly taking Boon's cell phone, Weidman faces only a robbery charge.

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Image via Scott Anderson/Patch