Ex-Pal Charged In Tippett Killing -- He Allegedly Hired And Paid Hit Man

A Seattle marine-industry worker whom David Tippett once called his right-hand man has been charged with aggravated murder for allegedly hiring a Louisiana parolee to execute Tippett.

Seattle police detectives arrested Michael W. Lindquist, 48, at his home late Saturday night. He is in King County Jail awaiting arraignment in King County Superior Court next Monday.

Tippett, who owned Tippett Marine Services, was eating lunch in the Fremont Dock Restaurant on April 14 when Joe Casbon, who had never met him, fired two bullets into the back of his head in front of about 40 customers.

Prosecutor Norm Maleng will decide within a month whether to seek the death penalty for Lindquist. An aggravated-murder conviction carries a minimum sentence of life in prison without chance for release.

Casbon, who will spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted for his role in the murder, announced at his Dec. 11 sentencing that Lindquist was innocent.

But even as he defended Lindquist in court, Casbon's brother, Gernard, told prosecutors that Lindquist had paid for the killing.

Prosecutors have long suspected Lindquist, once a foreman at Tippett's shipyard, and they used information about him to help convict Casbon in October. They contend Lindquist felt Tippett had cheated and humiliated him.

But no murder charges were filed against Lindquist until Gernard Casbon agreed to testify.

Gernard Casbon used to work for Lindquist at Tippett Marine Services and, according to charging papers, will testify that Lindquist asked him early this year to kill Tippett for $35,000.

Gernard Casbon, who will receive immunity from prosecution, told police he refused, but agreed to relay the offer to his brother, who was being paroled from Angola Prison in Louisiana. As part of the agreement, he was to plead guilty in Snohomish County Superior Court to charges of intimidating a witness and rendering criminal assistance.

Prosecutors contend Lindquist paid Joe Casbon's way to Seattle and promised him $9,000 to carry out the murder.

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Linda Jacke wrote in court documents that Lindquist felt Tippett, 46, had cheated him out of part ownership in the shipyard and a boat the two men once owned together.

Lindquist also held a grudge against Tippett for firing him because of alleged drug use at the shipyard, Jacke said.

The two men used to be close friends. Lindquist was the yard supervisor during the company's early years and Tippett once issued him business cards that gave him the title "Right-hand man." At Casbon's trial, prosecutors said Tippett and Lindquist used to take drugs together.

Their relationship changed in 1988 when Tippett cleaned up his life and demanded the shipyard also be drug-free, a co-worker said. Tippett tried to get Lindquist into counseling, but ultimately fired him.

Jacke said Lindquist contacted an attorney after his termination in an unsuccessful effort to get $60,000 and property from Tippett.

Joe Casbon was arrested in July after apparently boasting to an Everett man that he had been paid for killing a "Ballard billionaire" in a restaurant.

Prosecutors have phone records that show several calls made between Lindquist and the Casbon brothers in the days before the murder.

They are also expected to produce evidence that Lindquist had made threats in the past about hiring killers to eliminate enemies.

Witnesses at the restaurant said the killer sat and had a drink before approaching Tippett and shaking his hand.

The man asked for a job, was referred to the shipyard's business office and left.

Minutes later, he returned and fired two .32-caliber bullets into Tippett's head.