Seattle: A Washington man is accused of killing his girlfriend, posting photos of her body online and writing that he wanted authorities to find and kill him. Authorities on Wednesday found the woman’s car abandoned after a brief police chase.
Kitsap County sheriff’s Deputy Scott Wilson said police in Portland, Oregon, found Amber Lynn Coplin’s car late on Wednesday afternoon. There was no sign of her live-in boyfriend, 33-year-old David Michael Kalac, Wilson said.
Kalac has been charged with second-degree murder. He has a criminal history in Washington state and Virginia that includes convictions for assault, burglary and driving under the influence, Wilson said.
Deputies have confirmed that gruesome photos posted online are of the victim and the crime scene, Wilson said.
“He’s our primary suspect,” Wilson said of Kalac. “It stands to reason that in all likelihood he is the person who posted those photographs.”
Coplin’s body was found Tuesday in her apartment by her 13-year-old son, Wilson said.
The boy had heard her arguing with Kalac on Monday night, detectives said in court papers. Witnesses said they heard what sounded like a violent argument and loud thumping and banging noises coming from the apartment.
Police say they found Coplin’s body in a bedroom. Near her head was her driver’s license with the word “dead” written on it. The words “bad news” were written on window blinds. The words “she killed me first” were written on a picture on the wall.
The teenager told police he thought his mom was sleeping in when he left the apartment Tuesday morning, according to court documents.
The boy found his mother “unresponsive after coming home from school and taking a nap, Wilson said.
Kalac texted a friend from his cellphone on Tuesday morning telling the friend that he would read about him in the news.
Wilson said at some point Kalac took Coplin’s car and made the three-hour drive to Portland, where a police officer spotted the vehicle.
The officer tried to stop the driver, but the car sped away. The chase was called off because the car was swerving into oncoming traffic.
