Two Soldiers Are Linked To Slayings At Fort Lewis -- Suspects Admit They Played A Role, Affidavit States

Two Fort Lewis soldiers - one of whom told authorities that he disposed of weapons used in a grisly quadruple homicide by throwing them out the sunroof of a car and later burned bloody clothing - yesterday were ordered held without bail.

Held on obstruction charges pending another hearing next week were James Mayfield, 23, of Beaumont, Texas, and Edgar Outland, 27, of Salina, Kan. They allegedly concealed and destroyed evidence, and misled federal agents and a federal grand jury investigating four slayings.

The mutilated bodies of Allen King, 25; his sons, Allen King Jr., 4; Dominique King, 18 months; and stepson James Gillard, 7, were found in King's residence on the Fort Lewis military base near Tacoma on Dec. 4.

The four were military dependents of Allen King's wife, Sgt. Lisa King, who was on duty in Korea at the time of the killings.

Two suspects in the slayings, ages 34 and 30, who are both alleged members of a Los Angeles street gang, were arrested last week in Hacienda Heights, Calif., on drug charges that were filed in Tacoma federal court on Dec. 8. A third suspect is being sought in that case. The FBI has said the killings may have been drug-related.

Last night, Seattle U.S. Attorney Mike McKay said prosecutors have not ruled out the possibility of filing a capital case under new federal statutes that allow the death penalty in drug-related homicides.

"That certainly has not been pushed off the table," McKay said. A federal capital-crime filing would be a first in Washington state.

Federal agents contacted Mayfield and Outland because they were associates of Allen King and two suspects in the murder investigation, according to an affidavit filed yesterday.

Outland has been convicted of rape in a military court and was due to be released from the Army any day with a less-than-honorable discharge, the affidavit states.

When first contacted by investigators, Outland and Mayfield denied any knowledge of the killings. Then Mayfield changed his story, and said he drove two people to the King residence and waited in the car 30 to 45 minutes until the two jogged back to the car. One of the suspects, as they drove away, told Mayfield they "got Al," according to the affidavit.

Mayfield said he saw the suspects pull out a pair of scissors and two knives, and that he became scared when he saw blood on the weapons and on one of the suspects. He said he didn't know where the suspects went after they dropped him off nor did he know what happened to the weapons or other evidence.

On Monday, Mayfield and Outland appeared in Seattle to testify before the grand jury, stopping first at the U.S. attorney's office to be interviewed. There, Mayfield said he misled investigators about what he knew, adding he was scared of the suspects and worried he'd be killed, too.

Outland said he rented a room in a Fife motel at the request of one of the suspects, but didn't know anything about the killings.

Mayfield and Outland testified under oath before the grand jury, repeating their revised stories.

On Thursday, Mayfield told Tacoma police detectives that he and Outland had not told the complete truth.

"Mayfield now remembered that he threw the murder weapons through the sunroof of Outland's car during the drive from the murder scene," according to the affidavit. "Mayfield also told detectives that he and the suspects burned their bloody clothing. He showed the detectives the burn pile."

When contacted by FBI agents, Outland denied he had lied to the agents or the grand jury, saying only that he had left out some things. Asked if "more things" had occurred at the motel than he originally stated, Outland replied "yes," according to the affidavit.

After Mayfield was advised of his rights, he acknowledged that he and Outland had lied to the agents and to the grand jury.