In the spring of 2004, the life of 34-year-old Dean Lai-How was tragically cut short in what appeared to be the culmination of a troubled and volatile relationship. On the morning of May 18, Lai-How was outside his Renton, Washington, apartment with his dog when he was shot. Despite being alive when police arrived at the third-story apartment, he succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
He had managed to call 911 and identify his ex-wife as the person who had shot him.
The suspect in the fatal shooting was his 41-year-old former wife, Rebecca Lynn Lai-how. Later that same day, she turned herself in to the police in the neighboring city of Tukwila and was subsequently arrested for investigation of homicide. Days later, she was formally charged with first-degree murder. Court documents revealed that Lai-How had bled to death from a single gunshot wound to the shoulder.
The investigation uncovered a history of conflict between the former couple. Lai-How had sought and received a domestic-violence protection order against his ex-wife in March of that year, but authorities had been unable to serve her with the papers as she could not be located. There were also allegations that she had previously attempted to set fire to his apartment. In the months leading up to the shooting, police believe Rebecca Lai-how had distributed flyers to his neighbors, accusing him of pedophilia, a claim that law enforcement did not find credible.
Following the shooting, a note was discovered in Rebecca Lai-how's car. In it, she seemed to brace for the consequences of her actions, writing, "This violent act of setting things straight, no doubt, will be most stressful. That, and the knowledge that I will be without proper medication for that stress once I am detained. Rather than risk being misunderstood I shall keep silent." Neighbors described Lai-How as a quiet man who had lived in the apartment for about ten months and was often seen walking his dog.
