A 59-year-old man faces a second-degree murder charge for allegedly punching his roommate to death at a transitional home in Kent less than two weeks following his release from a state Department of Corrections prison.
Phillip Alan Frazier is scheduled to be arraigned May 26 at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. He is in custody at the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle with bail set at $4 million, according to jail records.
Kent Police arrested Frazier after responding at about 11:49 p.m. May 12 to a report of a fight between two roommates at a residence at 27611 123rd Ave. SE.
Danny Leroy Jones, 60, died at the scene. Jones died from blunt force trauma to his head and neck, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Frazier, who told a Kent detective that he is a former boxer, said he and Jones got into an argument because Jones claimed Frazier was making too much noise, according to charging documents filed May 17 by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Frazier said he was watching Netflix on his cellphone and retrieved a packet of Reese’s Pieces from his nightstand drawer.
As he began to open the package, he said the noise upset Jones and they began to argue. Jones had reportedly complained repeatedly about Frazier making noise while he tried to sleep during their two weeks as roommates.
Frazier said Jones stood up from his own bed and began to walk towards him to confront him, according to charging papers. Frazier said he got out of his bed, grabbed Jones and threw him down onto Jones’ bed.
Frazier is about 6 feet, 3 inches and weighs about 290 pounds, according to charging papers. Jones is about 5-8 and 135 pounds.
After throwing Jones onto the bed, Frazier said he punched Jones in the face about three times. Jones apparently yelled at Frazier who then said he struck Jones harder in the face. He said he had boxed for about 14 years and knew he could seriously injure or kill someone with two or three punches. He said he was not in fear of Jones.
Frazier said after hitting Jones he began to administer CPR to him while he waited for police to arrive. He also said after punching Jones that he began to drink out of a bottle of vodka inside the communal bedroom at the residence. He said he had a few shots prior to hitting Jones but said alcohol had nothing to do with why he punched Jones, according to charging documents.
Frazier was treated at Valley Medical Center in Renton for a fractured/broken right fist, according to charging papers.
“From the defendant’s own statements, the conflict between him and his roommate arose from his roommate’s annoyance that the defendant had once again woken him up with noise from a candy wrapper,” wrote Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Jason Brookhyser in the charging papers. “As his roommate voiced his anger and frustration, the defendant reacted by slamming his roommate back onto his bed and hitting him with his fist multiple times to the side of the head.”
The criminal history of Frazier includes a 2020 felony violation of a domestic violence no contact order, a conviction for attempted domestic violence arson in 2006 in King County, a 2010 conviction in Tennessee for aggravated assault and a 1993 conviction in California for corporal punishment of a spouse. He received a three-year prison term in Tennessee and a two-year prison term in California, according to charging papers.
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