Trial on for second suspect in 1994 double homicide

KENT - The trial of one of two men accused of killing two people in a Tukwila home in 1994 is under way at King County Superior Court.

Tonelli Anderson, 23, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killings of James Bateman, 25, of Tukwila and Kristen McMullen, 20, of Seattle. Another woman, Linelle Ricardos, of California, was shot twice in the face in front of her 2-year-old son, but survived.

After a long investigation, Anderson was arrested in 1998 while in prison on unrelated charges, according to Roger Rogoff, senior deputy prosecuting attorney. In 1998, Anderson was sentenced to 16 years in prison for first-degree robbery, unlawful imprisonment and first-degree assault.

An accomplice, Porshay Austin, pleaded guilty in February to one count of second-degree murder and is expected to be sentenced June 15.

If convicted of both counts, Anderson faces life in prison, Rogoff said.