No bail for one of two suspects in Kenmore man’s murder

The Thurston County Superior Court has denied bail to one of two suspects in the murder of a Kenmore man in August last year.

The court ordered that Nicholas Brandon VanDuren, 32, be held without bail after the victim’s partner pleaded against his release due to concerns over her family’s safety, according to the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

VanDuren’s omnibus hearing for the charge of second-degree murder is set for March 8. His twin brother and the second suspect, Alexander, are currently awaiting trial.

The twins were arrested last December and January in connection with the killing of 36-year-old Sean Shea in 2022.

How it started

A probable cause statement indicated that Shea and his partner, and their two small children stayed at the Super 8 Motel in Lacey on August 30, 2022, after attending a wedding.

In a forensic interview with authorities, the couple’s 7-year-old son said he awoke at one point to noises outside their room. He looked out the window and saw three people outside by a vehicle making a noise. He woke up his dad, worried that cars were being broken into.

The son said Shea argued through a window with the three people, then left the room and came downstairs.

Shea’s partner told a detective that she woke up at around 9 p.m. to their son talking to Shea about a truck being broken into. She said Shea ran downstairs and never came back up to their room.

Surveillance footage

Motel surveillance footage captured Shea arriving in the parking lot around 9:21 p.m. The verbal argument between him and two men, later identified as the VanDuren brothers, escalated into a physical altercation. The twins were also with a woman at the time.

Initially, the suspects were pushing Shea in the chest, then Nicholas struck the victim in the face, causing him to fall backward and hit his head, according to the probable cause statement.

Shea attempted to get back up, at which point Alexander began kicking him in the body while Nicholas went to a vehicle and retrieved what appeared to be brass knuckles, the statement read.

The video then showed Nicholas striking Shea in the left side of the head, causing him to fall down again without getting back up.

The suspects then fled the parking lot with their female companion.

Witnesses called medics. Shea was rushed to the Providence St. Peter Hospital, ultimately dying from his injuries.

An autopsy revealed that Shea suffered a skull fracture to the back right side of his head. He also had damage to the inside of his skull, around his left eye. This area had three distinct circular lacerations that were exactly one centimeter apart, consistent with an impact weapon.

A doctor said Shea’s cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, and the manner of death was a homicide.

Witness statements

Shea’s son said he saw two men pushing and then punching his dad. He recalled seeing his dad collapse as “one girl and two guys” fled in a car.

“I thought he was gonna run him over,” the son told authorities.

Two motel witnesses similarly said they saw a man push and punch Shea in the face. They also said that they saw one man reach into a nearby vehicle and retrieve an object that looked like brass knuckles.

The witnesses saw Shea get punched in the face. When one suspect punched Shea a second time, he said, “Oh yeah,” they added.

Immediately after the second punch, Shea became unresponsive, and the suspects fled westbound in a vehicle, the witnesses said.

Shea’s partner said she called dispatch when she saw fire and police vehicles downstairs, but they did not provide her with any information about the victim. She was unaware that Shea had been assaulted and that he had died, until a detective informed her.

Nicholas’ texts

Authorities later obtained Nicholas’ phone records, which confirmed that he was at the Super 8 Motel on the night of Shea’s death.

In his text messages with a woman he was dating, Nicholas referred to a girl, believed to be the female companion, stating that he knew what to do to make the girl “feel safe and comfortable so he won't go to prison for a long time,” according to the probable cause statement.

Nicholas’ messages made it appear that he was actively engaged in drug use, and that he would physically harm their female companion to stop her from giving information about Shea’s killing, the statement added.

On the night of Shea’s death, the suspect also texted the woman he was dating: “I only hit him twice and the second time he stayed down.”

Alledged accomplice woman’s statement

On November 14, 2022, the suspect’s female companion called a detective and yelled at him to “stop asking everyone” about her whereabouts.

The woman confirmed that she was with Nicholas on the night of Shea’s death, and the morning after that. She claimed, without providing further information, that Shea was using drugs with a man named Jordan. The detective did not find evidence to support this claim.

The female companion also said that Nicholas and Shea had a verbal argument, adding that Shea was armed with a knife when he came into the parking lot. The detective later said there was no evidence of a knife.

The woman said Nicholas acted in self-defense when he punched Shea, alleging that the victim threatened to break her neck when he came downstairs. She also denied that Nicholas retrieved anything from anywhere at any point during the incident.

When asked why they did not call the police after the altercation, the woman said, "That's not what I do, we don't get police involved,” and then hung up on the detective.

After the incident and after law enforcement reached out to multiple people associated with Nicholas, the suspect changed his cellphone number. Nicholas and his mother also attempted to trade the vehicle that the suspects used on the night of Shea’s death.