On a winter evening in Everett, Washington, the life of Kevin P. Odneal, a 50-year-old Caucasian male, came to a violent end. On February 13, 2015, in the 2400 block of 75th Street SE, Odneal was shot and killed. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner later confirmed that the cause of his death was a gunshot wound to the torso, and the manner of death was ruled a homicide.
The property where the shooting occurred was not unfamiliar with violence; two other homicides had taken place there in previous years, and police had investigated an illegal chop shop at the residence just months before.
The incident that claimed Odneal's life also resulted in the death of another person, 42-year-old Irene D. "Deni" Halverson, who died from multiple gunshot wounds. A third woman was also shot, sustaining a wound to her pelvis, but she survived the attack. Shortly after the gunfire erupted, a 38-year-old man named Tye Fleischer surrendered to Everett Police and was taken into custody in connection with the deadly shootings. Fleischer himself called 911 after the incident, telling a dispatcher he had killed two people.
As the case proceeded to trial, two very different stories emerged about what led to the fatal encounter. Prosecutors argued that Fleischer had a deliberate plan to eliminate Odneal and the surviving female victim. At the time, Fleischer was managing a clean-and-sober living house where the surviving woman was a tenant. She had recently relapsed, and according to prosecutors, began associating with drug-using friends, including Odneal, at the sober house. This created conflict, leading to a falling out the day before the shooting. The prosecution asserted that Fleischer, who had also relapsed on methamphetamine and was distraught, went to Odneal's home with the intent to kill.
The defense presented a starkly different narrative, claiming Fleischer acted in self-defense. They argued he had gone to Odneal's residence simply to ask him and the woman to stay away from the sober house because his children were coming to visit. According to his attorney, Fleischer knew Odneal was associated with dangerous people and was aware of the property's violent history. The defense contended that a confrontation occurred, Fleischer was threatened, and he opened fire to protect himself, with no prior intention of harming anyone. Video evidence showed Fleischer arriving in a van and having a brief conversation with Odneal before Odneal, Halverson, and the other woman walked from a garage toward him, at which point the shooting began.
