Dan Spaeth, a 37-year-old White male from Snohomish, Washington, was a corrections officer, husband, and father. His family said he was born to make a difference in people's lives and took pride in giving back to his community. A friend described him as someone who was always there to help, a person everyone loved like a brother. On the evening of September 7, 2023, after helping his son with homework, Spaeth stepped outside his home on South Machias Road with his wife to help a family of deer
safely cross the street, an area known for speeding traffic.
Around 7:45 p.m., as the couple tried to slow down vehicles, a Jeep followed by a black sedan approached. A single shot was fired from the sedan, striking Spaeth in the chest. His wife heard a "pop" and saw her husband fall to the ground. Several bystanders, including two with medical training, rushed to provide aid before paramedics arrived, but Spaeth was pronounced dead at the scene. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed the cause of death was a gunshot wound and ruled the manner of death a homicide.
An investigation was launched, and using witness descriptions and video from a nearby business, authorities identified the suspect's car as an older Lexus with a missing bumper. The following day, an off-duty sheriff's deputy spotted the vehicle, which led to the arrest of its owner, 22-year-old Dylan Picard of Lake Stevens. When police detained him, Picard reportedly said, "I shot somebody."
During questioning, Picard told detectives he became "scared" when he saw a man, later identified as Spaeth, yelling at the Jeep in front of him and hitting it with his hands. Picard claimed that as Spaeth ran toward his car, he fired what he described as a "warning shot" to frighten the couple, not intending to hit anyone. However, the driver of the Jeep told police that Spaeth had not been aggressive or struck his vehicle. A passenger in Picard's car also told investigators that Picard reached around her to shoot Spaeth as he approached the passenger window, then showed her the casing and boasted about it.
Dylan Picard was charged with second-degree murder. In July 2026, his case went to trial in Snohomish County Superior Court. Picard admitted to firing the shot but claimed it was in self-defense. After a three-week trial, the jury rejected his claim and convicted him of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon.
At his sentencing hearing in August 2026, Picard, then 25, apologized to Spaeth's family for the suffering he had caused. The judge, calling the killing a "senseless act of violence" and noting Picard's "callous disregard for human life," sentenced him to more than 21 years in prison.
