On a cold and rainy January evening in Marysville, Washington, 17-year-old Andre Hofland was lured out of his home for what he believed was a deal to sell disposable vape pens. It was the night of January 5, 2021, and Andre, a male student in the Marysville School District, went outside to meet two other teenagers. Shortly after 9 p.m., his mother heard a gunshot and her son's scream. A brief struggle had broken out during the transaction, and Andre was shot.
He stumbled across the street and collapsed near the sidewalk outside his house. His father held him until help arrived. In his final moments, Andre was able to tell his mother who shot him, identifying the individual as "Dominic from school." He was rushed to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, where he died on the operating table. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed his cause of death was a gunshot wound and the manner was homicide.
Andre's dying words provided a crucial lead for Marysville police. They quickly identified the primary suspect as 16-year-old Dominic Wilson, a schoolmate of Andre's. The investigation also led them to a second suspect, 17-year-old Morzae Roberts. Security footage from a neighbor's home captured the meeting and the fatal encounter. The video showed two individuals in hoodies meeting with Andre, an exchange taking place, and then one of them pointing an object at him. After a struggle, Andre fell as the other two fled the scene. Wilson was arrested the following morning, and Roberts was taken into custody later that day. During his arrest, Wilson reportedly made statements indicating he knew his life was ruined. Roberts initially provided conflicting stories to the police but eventually cooperated after learning about the security footage.
Both Dominic Wilson and Morzae Roberts were arrested and initially charged with second-degree murder. The charges were later upgraded to first-degree murder, and prosecutors made the decision to charge both teenagers as adults. In January 2022, Morzae Roberts pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of first-degree manslaughter and was ultimately sentenced to four years, with some of that time to be served in juvenile detention. In February 2023, the shooter, Dominic Wilson, then 18, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. The following month, he was sentenced to 17 and a half years in prison for his role in Andre Hofland's death.
