In the quiet community of Bonney Lake, Washington, 61-year-old Linda Green was known for her generosity and her vibrant love for the color purple. Her home was a reflection of this, with purple flower baskets, purple sand in her garden, and even a purple sedan parked outside. Tragically, it was within the walls of her own bedroom that her life was cut short on the night of November 3, 2016.
Around 11:00 p.m., a neighbor a block away, Tobin Panton, discovered his Jeep Cherokee being
stolen. In an attempt to stop the thief, he fired multiple shots at the fleeing vehicle. One of these bullets traveled through the neighborhood, pierced the window of Linda Green's bedroom, and struck her in the head as she lay in bed.
Her son, who was in the house at the time, heard strange breathing noises from her room and went to check on her. He found his mother on the floor with a head wound and initially thought she had fallen. Medics were called to the scene, and upon realizing it was a gunshot wound, they requested police presence. Despite being rushed to the hospital, Linda Green succumbed to her injuries.
The investigation quickly led police to her 41-year-old neighbor, Tobin Panton. He was arrested and initially charged with second-degree assault, but the charges were amended after Green's death. Investigators found at least one bullet hole in the back window of the stolen Jeep, which was recovered about a mile away. Panton was ultimately charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter. He later pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison. No arrest was ever made in the car theft that precipitated the tragic incident.
