David Aguayo, a 26-year-old Hispanic man described by those who knew him as a good kid and an amazing friend, was a great artist whose smile could light up a room. In June 2022, he was staying on and off at a friend’s apartment in Des Moines, Washington, while “couch surfing.”
On the morning of June 17, 2022, Kyle Michael McCullough, a 28-year-old from Kent, discovered that his girlfriend was having an affair with Aguayo.
After a dispute among the three, McCullough sent Aguayo a text message that read, “U lucky to be alive.” Later that day, McCullough went to the Des Moines Station Apartments where Aguayo was staying. Aguayo’s roommate later told police he woke up to the sound of yelling and saw McCullough bent over Aguayo, holding a knife. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office would later determine that Aguayo died from multiple stab and gunshot wounds, noting particularly vicious stab wounds to his face, head, and genitalia.
After the attack, McCullough cleaned the apartment floor and placed Aguayo’s body inside a large plastic tote that was used to store a Christmas tree. The roommate stated that he helped dispose of the body. The tote was dumped on the side of a secluded road in an unincorporated area of King County near the Duwamish River in Skyway.
Three days later, on June 20, the roommate confessed to Aguayo’s sister, telling her that he had found Aguayo stabbed to death and had helped get rid of the body. He told her where to find the tote. She went to the location on Beacon Coal Mine Road South, and upon seeing the tote wrapped in tarps, she called 911 before looking inside. King County Sheriff’s deputies responded and found David Aguayo’s body. The investigation led Des Moines police detectives to secure a search warrant for the apartment, where they found evidence of a homicide, including a blood-stained rug in a dumpster. Police arrested Kyle Michael McCullough at an apartment in Kent on June 22, 2022.
McCullough was charged with second-degree murder and held on $3 million bail. On December 19, 2024, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with a deadly weapon enhancement. On February 28, 2025, a King County Superior Court judge sentenced McCullough to 18 years in prison, which included 16 years for the murder and two years for the weapon enhancement. His prison term is to be followed by three years of community custody.
