A Kent teen and former Kentwood High School student faces a first-degree murder charge for his alleged involvement in the shooting of Payton Mattson in November during a drug deal gone bad.
King County prosecutors charged Shkumbim Gllareva, 18, on March 14, for the fatal shooting of Mattson, 20, Nov. 26 on Kent’s East Hill. Gllareva pleaded not guilty March 26 to the charge. He was booked last month into the county jail in Seattle where he remains with bail set at $2 million, according to jail records. Prosecutors initially charged Gllareva last year with first-degree rendering criminal assistance for reportedly driving a car to help a Auburn teen flee after the shooting.
But now Gllaerva and Hector Galeano Jr., 18, of Auburn, each face murder charges in the case. Prosecutors charged Galeano last year for allegedly shooting Mattson while robbing him of cash during a marijuana deal in the 13100 block of Southeast 261st Place, according to court documents. Galeano pleaded not guilty to the charge. Galeano remains in the county jail at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent with bail set at $2 million, according to jail records.
Kent Police have not recovered a weapon in the case, but through search warrants tracked down social media accounts that showed Gllareva and Galeano in possession of a handgun in the day leading up to the shooting of Mattson, according to charging papers.
“The defendant’s actions – setting up a drug transaction, followed by the robbery of the person who was selling drugs and the shooting death of that person on a city street – demonstrate the danger he poses,” Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Scott O’Toole wrote about Gllareva in charging documents.
Gllareva faces a maximum term of life in prison on the murder charge, according to court documents. At a minimum, his sentencing range is 20 to 26 years plus five years for the use of a firearm.
Kent detectives used search warrants to acquire cellphone records of Gllareva and Galeano which showed multiple communications between the two on the day of the shooting, and in the period leading up to the killing of Mattson. Gllareva and Galeano reportedly discussed their lack of money and confirmed plans to conduct a “big” robbery to fund their joint future criminal endeavors, according to court documents.
The drug deal apparently began just before midnight Nov. 25, when Gllareva asked a friend to set up a meeting where he would pay $500 for a quarter-pound of marijuana. The friend contacted Mattson, known to sell marijuana, to arrange the deal, according to court documents.
Gllareva brought Galeano along to help make the deal. Galeano got into a car with Mattson and another boy. Mattson began to measure out the marijuana. Mattson also showed the other teens a bag he had in the car with thousands of dollars inside. Galeano reportedly grabbed the cash, pointed a gun at Mattson and fled the vehicle.
Mattson exited the car and chased Galeano. The teen who remained in Mattson’s car told detectives he heard at least four shots and saw Galeano shoot Mattson, who died of multiple gunshot wounds. Galeano then fled in a 2013 black Mercedes Benz driven by Gllareva, using a car owned by his father. Gllareva told police he was sleeping at Galeano’s home during the time of the shooting.
Detectives searched Galeano’s home in Auburn and found four Ziploc bags full of cash inside a backpack. The cash totaled $14,019.
Investigators found seven spent 9mm cartridge cases lying in and around the area where the Mercedes had been parked during the shooting. Officers also found an empty 40 ounce bottle of Olde English 800 malt liquor on the ground near the cases. Several $20 bills were scattered on the ground near Mattson’s body.
A detective found on Galeano’s Snapchat profile two images posted about one hour before Mattson’s killing. Each photo depicted a male holding a plastic 40 ounce bottle of Olde English 800 malt liquor inside a car with the word Kent superimposed on each photo. The male holding the bottle appeared to be Galeano, who later deleted his Snapchat profile.
The father of Galeano helped convince his son to turn himself in. Galeano surrendered Nov. 26 to Kent Police at the Kent Police Station and invoked his right to speak with his attorney.
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