In the summer of 2016, the life of 19-year-old Mike Clayton, a White/Caucasian male, was tragically cut short in a brutal act of violence in Auburn, Washington. On July 6th, emergency services were called to the mobile home he shared with his father, which was fully engulfed in flames. Due to the intensity of the fire, firefighters were unable to enter the residence. The following day, a grim discovery was made among the charred remains: Mike Clayton's body.
An autopsy would later reveal that he had not perished in the fire but had been shot to death.
The investigation into the fire and Clayton's death quickly shifted to a homicide inquiry. Authorities found shell casings and the stock of a rifle near the back of the home, confirming the violent nature of his death. The motive for this heinous crime appeared to be retaliation. It was revealed that Clayton had been in a physical altercation with Dylan Mullins, an acquaintance, weeks prior to the murder, resulting in injuries to Mullins. This dispute is believed to have been the catalyst for the deadly events that followed.
Two young men, Dylan Mullins and Sebastian Gregg, were soon identified as the primary suspects. The pair had planned to ambush Clayton at his home. They lay in wait inside the mobile home and, when Clayton returned, they shot him multiple times. To conceal their crime, they set the home on fire. In the aftermath, Mullins and Gregg stole a truck belonging to the Kent Parks Department and fled the area. Their escape was short-lived, however, as they were apprehended in Grays Harbor County during a traffic stop for speeding. A search of the stolen vehicle uncovered guns that had been taken from the Clayton residence.
Faced with the evidence against them, both Mullins and Gregg confessed to the murder during police questioning. They were subsequently charged with first-degree murder, first-degree arson, and first-degree burglary. Despite his age of 17 at the time of the crime, Sebastian Gregg was charged as an adult. Dylan Mullins pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Sebastian Gregg also pleaded guilty and received a sentence of 37 years behind bars for his role in the calculated and violent death of Mike Clayton.
