A 23-year-old software engineer for Microsoft has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend.
King County prosecutors charged Ahmed Hassan Osman with first- and second-degree murder in the stabbing death of Nyaruot Chuol, 20, at an upscale apartment complex in the 24600 block of 64th Avenue South.
The coroner reported Chuol suffered multiple stab wounds to her neck, back and abdomen. Osman was arrested after a neighbor called 911 to report a disturbance on Sunday, Jan. 24.
Osman is also charged with the aggravated assault of Chuol’s cousin in the second floor hallway. The victim told police that Osman fled to a nearby apartment.
Osman barricaded himself in the apartment and refused to come out until a SWAT team deployed tear gas canisters through a window.
Osman then exited apartment and was taken into custody. The cousin told investigators that Osman and Chuol were involved in a sexual relationship that deteriorated over the past weeks. She said Chuol had blocked Osman’s number in her cellphone.
She said, on the morning of the murder, she and Chuol were at Osman’s apartment drinking and smoking marijuana when Chuol and Osman got into an argument after she refused to have sex with him. Osman slapped Chuol who became enraged and the two lovers fought.
Osman ordered the two women to leave his apartment. Chuol then began breaking items in the apartment. She broke dishes and used a small knife to carve a television and a laptop.
The two women left the apartment but returned to retrieve Chuol’s cellphone. A second altercation began and Osman pilled out a handgun and pointed it at Chuol’s cousin’s head.
He put the gun down and the cousin picked the weapon up and tucked it into her waistband.
The women left the apartment again and were waiting for the elevator when Osman emerged from the apartment with a large kitchen knife.
He stabbed Chuol in the abdomen and tried to stab the cousin but she blocked the knife with her arms. He stabbed Chuol again and again. She died before medics could save her.
Osman was hired by Microsoft directly out of college at age 21 and was recently promoted, according to the Seattle Times.
Osman is being held at the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle on $5 million bail. His bail was increased from $1 million after prosecutors learned he had access to considerable financial resources, according to the Times.
He had an annual salary of between $163,000 and $207,000. He also owned rental property in Kent and detectives found paperwork for a newly purchased Tesla.
His arraignment is set for Feb. 8 in the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.
A GoFundMe page raised over $7,000 for Chuol’s funeral expenses.
