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The suspect in the killing of a Mercer Island man pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, kidnapping, identity theft and criminal impersonation, among other charges, after being extradited back to Washington state from California.
The man, identified as Philip J. Brewer in court documents, is being held on $5 million bail in a King County jail. His accomplice, identified as Christina Joel Hardy is expected to enter a plea on Tuesday.
Brewer and Hardy are accused of injecting a 74-year-old Mercer Island man with fentanyl, and then stabbing him in the neck when they realized he wasn't dead, according to court documents. Brewer and the victim, identified Curtis Engeland, met on a dating app in January. On the pair's second date, Brewer allegedly stole Engeland's wallet, keys and cellphone and made thousands of dollars in transfers using his accounts.
Read more: https://www.king5.com/article/news/crime/suspect-mercer-island-man-homicide-pleads-not-guilty/281-94330477-4d61-4ffe-bc9a-9cdcd3efb575