Issaquah Uber Driver Stabbing: Prosecutors File Murder Charges

ISSAQUAH, WA — More than a week after an Uber driver was found stabbed to death inside a crashed car in Issaquah, King County prosecutors have filed first-degree murder charges against two suspects.

Olivia Bebic and Devin Wade, both 21, were arrested last Tuesday in Bellevue and held in connection with the death. According to court filings published last week, investigators linked Wade's cell phone to the account used to order an Uber shortly before the killing.

The King County Medical Examiner's Office identified the man killed on Dec. 13 as Cherno Ceesay, 28, of Kirkland.

In documents filed Monday, prosecutors asked the judge to keep bail set at $2 million, citing potential flight risks.

From a case summary written by the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office:

"While the Defendants have no ascertainable criminal history, their activities demonstrate they are a danger to the community. In a dark section of Renton Issaquah Road, they created an Uber account with a fake name and an email they both disavow for the purpose of hailing a stranger, Cherno Ceesay, to their location. When he arrived, they stabbed him to death in the course of trying to steal his car, a Kia Sportage. When his car crashed, they left him dying in his car and stole his phone, presumably to cover up their involvement in this crime. They took other actions with their phones to cover their tracks and avoid detection from police, such as disconnecting their phones from the network. Both Defendants told police they are from Nevada and have no ties to King county. They are a flight risk and an extreme danger to the community at large."

According to prosecutors, a witness reported a loud noise outside his home on Renton Issaquah Road Southeast, just before 9:30 p.m. on the night of the killing, and saw a Kia Sportage crashed into a tree with its headlights on, exhaust coming from the vehicle and a phone flashlight moving near the car.

Detectives said GPS data showed Ceesay's phone was taken from the car and traveled to the Bellevue area, and traffic cameras showed a white Nissan Altima with Nevada license plates driving along the same route. Police found the vehicle near Factoria Mall on Dec. 15, and both suspects were arrested on suspicion of shoplifting later that night, investigators said.

After securing a search warrant, police said Ceesay's phone was found inside the suspect's vehicle, along with two knives with blood on them and the two phones believed to belong to the suspects.

According to charging documents, Bebic told police in an interview that the Nissan was her car and that Wade is her boyfriend. Detectives said Bebic shared limited details of the couple's whereabouts on the Sunday of Ceesay's death and said she and Wade had been delivering food for an app-based service in the Issaquah area. However, she could not recall any of the restaurants or delivery locations, detectives said.

According to police, Wade told them he had not had a working phone since leaving Las Vegas in February and said the pair had not made food deliveries "since Saturday or Sunday" due to car troubles. Investigators said Bebic confirmed Wade's phone number and said he always had it with him.

Prosecutors said a review of cell phone records showed Wade's phone was in the area of the killing and used to access rideshare apps, as well as the phone's flashlight between 9:15 p.m. and 9:25 p.m. on Dec. 13.

Detectives said data from Bebic's phone included internet searches for the most common stolen vehicles in Washington and ways to delete data.

"Internet searches through Bebic's phone suggest that she was searching for information about the murder and was looking for ways of erasing her digital footprint," Sergeant Ryan Raulerson wrote in a probable cause statement. "It also appears that the two were searching for Information about SeaTac airport which would indicate that they were looking for opportunities to flee the area."

An arraignment hearing for Wade and Bebic is scheduled for Jan. 4, 2021, at the King County Courthouse.