Two Kent men in their teens are facing first-degree murder charges for allegedly shooting a man in Federal Way after trying to carjack his maroon Dodge Charger because they liked the look of the car.
Jonathan Montejano, 19, and Alhusaine Drammeh, 18, are accused of shooting Robert E. Blowe III, 26, at about 8:50 p.m. Oct. 25 in the O’Reilly Auto Parts store parking lot, 32411 Pacific Highway S. Blowe died from a gunshot wound to his chest, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The two men are scheduled to be arraigned at 9 a.m. Nov. 27 in the GA Courtroom at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent. Both men also have been charged for previous robbery and burglary cases.
On the night of Oct. 25, Drammeh reportedly told detectives that he and Montejano were in a Jeep driving around Federal Way when they spotted Blowe’s Dodge Charger on the roadway, according to court documents.
They did a U-turn and followed Blowe with the intention of robbing him of his car because they liked the look of it, according to charging papers. Blowe entered the auto parts store and then returned to his vehicle. Drammeh and Montejano, armed with pistols, approached Blowe, who was seated in the driver’s seat of his Charger.
Drammeh said he pointed his pistol at Blowe and asked him where the keys were at, according to court documents. Drammeh said Blowe surrendered the keys but then produced a handgun and fired at them. Drammeh said he and Montejano fired their pistols at Blowe before fleeing in the Jeep. Video footage of the incident corroborated the details.
The two men then fled to Kent.
On Oct. 26, Kent Police investigating other incidents involving Drammeh and Montejano, found a 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT apparently abandoned in a field near SE 212th Street and 131st Place SE. The location was near a residence where Montejano was associated with and was known to be staying at recently.
Detectives determined the Jeep had been carjacked in Lake Stevens on Oct. 22. The Jeep had damage to the front grill that appeared to be caused by gunfire. A broken piece of black plastic found at the O’Reilly store parking lot in Federal Way was an apparent match to the Jeep’s grill, linking it to the murder scene. Fingerprints of both men were found on or within the vehicle.
Later on Oct. 26, Drammeh surrendered to Kent Police at his apartment complex on Russell Road and was taken into custody on burglary charges for two Kent home invasions on Oct. 15 and 16.
Montejano also surrendered to Kent Police near his residence close to where the Jeep was found.
In addition to the murder charge, Montejano faces charges for multiple carjacking robberies in Kent and Federal Way and burglary of a King County gun store.
As of Nov. 21, Montejano remained in custody at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent with bail set at $5.5 million, according to jail records. Prosecutors had asked a judge for him to be held without bail. Drammeh remained in custody at the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle. He is being held without bail, granted by a different judge than Montejano’s case.
Both men pleaded not guilty to the earlier charges against them for burglary and robbery.
The crime of first-degree murder carries a maximum punishment of life in prison, according to charging documents.
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