King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng announced today the filing of first degree murder charges against Velma Ogden-Whitehead and her son and a friend of the son who are accused in the murder of Velma's husband Ron Whitehead.

Whitehead was in his Ford Mustang at an intersection near SeaTac airport when he was shot several times on March 18, 2005. He was driving to his job at Boeing.

Velma Ogden Whitehead, 48, and her son John Odgen, 18, and John's friend Wilson Sayachack, 17, are all three charged with one count of murder in the first degree in a plot that was made to look like a random carjacking. Sayachack is a juvenile but he is being charged as an adult.

According to the charges, Sayachack is accused of hiding in the trunk of Whitehead's car and climbing through the backseat, which folded down, and firing the first shot, hitting Whitehead in the back of the head.

Prosecutors allege that John Ogden joined Sayachack in the front passenger seat and pushed Whitehead out of the vehicle and then Ogden fired three more shots into Whitehead's back as he lay in the street.

According to court documents, Velma Ogden-Whitehead profited from the murder by selling two of Whitehead's rental properties and realized a profit of $460,000. The other two properties in Tacoma have an equity value of more than $300,000 and the defendant collected Whitehead's life insurance, retirement accounts and benefits from Boeing with a value in excess of $650,000. The defendant began spending the money on trips to Las Vegas and new cars.

Investigators subpoenaed cell phone records and learned that there was a high level of cell phone activity on the morning of the murder.

Just before the murder, Ogden and Sayachack exchanged 53 text messages. Eight more messages were exchanged just after the murder. According to court documents, the cell phone used by Sayachack was provided by Velma Ogden-Whitehead.

King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng discussed the charges at a morning news conference. "The story it tells is of a cold-blooded crime, an inside job of domestic violence set up to look like a random act of murder," said Maleng.

Maleng also praised the investigation by the King County Sheriff's Office. "It is also a story of outstanding police work, and a team of determined detectives who looked beyond the superficial appearances to find the truth," Maleng added.

Maleng said the case is being prosecuted by the Cold Case Unit of the King County Prosecutor's Office. The unit was formed last fall and provided assistance to detectives working on the Whitehead case.

All three defendants are in custody on $5 million bail pending arraignment on July 10. If convicted as charged the defendants could be sentenced to 25 to 32 years in prison.

For Additional Information See: Statement of King County Prosecuting Attorney Norm Maleng on the Whitehead Murder Case

Dated: June 27, 2006