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Prosecutors Say Murder Plot Related to Pot Dealing

By Jonah Spangenthal-Lee December 2, 2009

A feud between pot dealers over a home invasion robbery ended when Steve Bushaw was shot to death in front of a West Seattle bar hours after the Super Bowl last February, prosecutors say.


According to charges filed in King County Superior Court earlier today, prosecutors allege John Nikimbe Sylve, Bryce Nathan Huber, Brandon Douglas Chaney, and Danny Ervin O'Neal, Jr. "set up and gunned down" Bushaw, believing him to be responsible for a robbery


Court records say Bushaw was shot multiple times by Sylve and O'Neal outside of Talarico's Bar 4700 bock of California Ave SW. Bushaw died shortly after at Harborview.


Records say he met Huber one year before he was killed—while both men were  working for the International Longshoremen and Warehousman Union in Seattle—and became friends. Prosecutors say Bushaw began purchasing small amounts of weed from Huber, who introduced Bushaw to Mitchell. Bushaw then began purchasing larger quantities of pot from Mitchell.


In January, one month before Bushaw was killed, armed gunmen forced their way inside Mitchell's home and beat him, breaking his arm. One of the men, records say, put a gun in Mitchell's mouth and asked him where his "stash" was. The men left with weed and cash.


Mitchell believed Bushaw had masterminded the robbery because, records say, out of the five men Mitchell regularly sold to, all but Bushaw continued calling to buy after the robbery.


A week before Bushaw was killed,he told friends that he was having a problem with one of his former pot dealers, who'd threatened to shoot him, and that he'd heard there was a $5,000 hit out on him.


The night of the murder, Bushaw met with Huber at Talarico's. Huber contacted Chaney, who showed up with Sylve and O'Neal. Both Sylve and O'Neal walked up to Bushaw outside of Talarico's and opened fire.


Prosecutors have charged Huber, Chaney, O'Neal, and Sylve with conspiracy to commit murder. There arraignment is not yet scheduled.

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