Prosecutors Tell Of Killing On Everett Train Tracks -- Dispute Allegedly Over Sleeping Spot

EVERETT - A man and teenager who'd been sleeping under the Broadway overpass a few days before Christmas beat another man unconscious and put him in the path of a freight train for two reasons, prosecutors say: He was sleeping in their spot and he threatened one of their dogs.

Aaron Beymer, 17, and Dale Schwab, 26, both of Marysville, have been charged with second-degree murder in the Dec. 23 killing of Ernest Sena, 38.

Beymer was arraigned yesterday in Snohomish County Superior Court after being captured last month riding in a box car in Oregon. Schwab was arraigned Friday. Both have pleaded not guilty.

According to charging documents, the two found Sena, a transient whose last known address was the Everett Gospel Mission, sleeping in Beymer's spot and on his gear under the overpass, a popular shelter for homeless men.

They began kicking Sena, prosecutors say, apparently accelerating the assault after he either shoved a dog or threatened to kick it. Sena was beaten unconscious, then dragged to the railroad tracks and wrapped in a piece of carpet.

Prosecutors say the two men watched an eastbound train hit Sena, then used their cigarette lighters to view the aftermath.

Police first talked to Schwab and Beymer, who were accompanied by numerous dogs, at about 6:45 a.m. Dec. 23, after a complaint that they were drinking beer and trespassing on Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad property. Schwab was arrested on an outstanding warrant; Beymer went on his way.

Sena's remains were found by railroad workers about five hours later.

The same day, prosecutors say, an inmate at the Snohomish County Jail told authorities Schwab had told him about the Sena killing.

Schwab and Beymer initially were charged with murder in Everett District Court, a maneuver that allows prosecutors to hold defendants for two weeks or longer without having to present their evidence in the case.

Beymer, who according to authorities has been on his own since he was 13, was found in a train in Klamath Falls, Ore., and waived extradition. He was convicted in juvenile court in November of misdemeanor assault and carrying a concealed weapon.

Schwab has an extensive record, including felony convictions for robbery and car theft, and 22 juvenile convictions.

The two are being held in the Snohomish County Jail.

Nancy Montgomery's phone message number is 425-745-7803. Her e-mail address is: nmon-new@seatimes.com