Court docs: Man had been out of prison for 13 days before killing roommate over candy wrapper dispute

Court docs: Man killed his roommate 13 days after release from prison

According to court documents, the suspect admitted to beating his roommate to death over an argument that stemmed from noise from a candy wrapper.

KENT, Wash. - Kent Police arrested a man who allegedly murdered his roommate late Thursday night over him voicing frustration about noise from a candy wrapper, according to court documents.

According to Kent Police Department (KPD), at around 11:45 p.m., officers were dispatched to a residence near 123rd Ave. SE and SE 277th Pl. on May 13 for reports of a physical fight between two roommates.

Court documents say the conflict between the suspect, 59-year-old Phillip Frazier, and the victim, 60-year-old Danny Jones, began after Jones confronted Frazier for once again waking him up with noises from opening candy wrappers.

The pair shared a room in transitional housing, and Jones usually went to bed early, according to court documents.

Jones voiced his frustrations over being woken up and Frazier reacted by slamming Jones onto a bed and punching him multiple times in the side of the head, according to court documents.

Officers tried to save Jones, but he died at the scene.

Frazier was detained and later taken into custody. He is now at the King County Jail booked for second-degree murder.

According to court documents, Frazier has been in and out of custody for most of his adult life, with "much of that time spent in custody rather than out." Court documents also say Frazier "recognizes that he has become institutionalized and over the years has had trouble readjusting to life in the community."

Frazier acknowledged in interviews with police that his body mass was twice the size of Jones' and that Jones presented no physical threat to his safety.

He also told officers that he was a heavyweight boxer and was confident that his fists alone could cause "catastrophic damage to another human being," court documents said.

According to court documents, Frazier only stopped beating Jones when he believed Jones was dead.

"During his interview with detectives, the defendant repeatedly stated that he knew something like this was going to happen when he was released from prison and that he knew he was going back for the rest of his life," court documents detail.

He also has several previous convictions for assault and domestic violence-related charges. According to court documents, he told police he had only been out of prison for 13 days before allegedly killing Jones.

Prosecutors requested Frazier's bail be set at $4 million.