Man Who Decapitated Prostitute Pleads Guilty

A Seattle postal worker who decapitated a prostitute he claimed tried to steal from him last summer has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.

James Fiori, 48, killed Alane Scott, 28, in his Queen Anne apartment July 18. He stabbed, choked and shot Scott and later cut off her head and right arm.

Her body was found along a North Seattle street. Fiori said he tossed the woman's arm and head into a Green Lake trash bin. They were never found.

Senior Deputy Prosecutor James Konat said yesterday he will recommend Fiori be sentenced to nearly 27 years in prison, the highest term allowed within guidelines established by the Legislature.

Fiori told police he invited Scott into his apartment and paid her $70 for sex but became enraged when he got out of the shower and found her trying to steal money.

Seattle homicide detectives were led to Fiori by a State Patrol trooper who had stopped him for driving erratically on Interstate 5 near North Seattle the night of the killing.

The trooper saw blood and tape on Fiori's fingers but was unaware that Scott's body was in the trunk during the traffic stop.

After reading news accounts about the murder, he turned over Fiori's name and address to detectives.

When detectives entered his apartment they discovered blood soaked into his carpet and splattered upon the furniture and walls.

Fiori worked as a night clerk for the Postal Service in downtown Seattle.

Detectives found several weapons inside his apartment.

He has no previous convictions and lived alone.