In the early morning hours of November 8, 2020, Jason M. Castle, a 42-year-old White male from Marysville, Washington, was shot and killed in what began as a drug transaction. The fatal encounter took place near a Shell gas station on 88th Street NE. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed that the cause of death was blunt force injuries and ruled it a homicide.
The events that led to his death began when Castle went to meet Lyon "Nick" Torns, who was known to be
his fentanyl dealer. Having previously sustained a workplace injury, Castle had turned to drugs to manage the pain. On that night, after spending a couple of hours at a casino with his wife, Kathryn, he left to meet Torns. A sense of unease prompted him to call his wife, telling her he had a bad feeling and to come to the Shell station if she didn't hear from him in ten minutes. Shortly after, he texted her to meet him at a nearby grocery store. The final call he made was a brief 32-second conversation with Torns. Ten minutes later, gunshots were reported in the area.
Arriving at the scene, Kathryn Castle saw Torns driving her husband's Volkswagen Touareg. She confronted him, but he drove off. She pursued him to a hotel parking lot where he abandoned the Touareg and fled in a black sedan. When police arrived at the initial location, they found Jason Castle in some bushes. He had been shot in the chin, shoulder, and chest, and his wallet was missing with his pants pockets turned out. Investigators found six 9 mm bullet casings at the scene.
The subsequent investigation quickly identified two suspects. Lyon "Nick" Torns, a 36-year-old from Everett, was identified through tips and security footage. His accomplice, who drove the getaway car, was identified as James B. Flowers, a 30-year-old transient from Everett. On November 16, Torns turned himself in to the police in Las Vegas, Nevada. The following day, Flowers was arrested at a motel in Mountlake Terrace, Washington.
James B. Flowers was initially charged with first-degree murder but later pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of first-degree rendering criminal assistance. He was sentenced to just over two years in prison. Lyon "Nick" Torns was initially charged with second-degree murder, which was later upgraded to first-degree murder. He ultimately pleaded guilty to the original charge of second-degree murder. Torns was sentenced to more than 19 years in prison. At his sentencing, he apologized to the Castle family for his actions.
