Bankruptcy attorney from Auburn fatally beaten

AUBURN — A bankruptcy attorney, William Messer, 57, was found beaten to death late Monday in his law office, police said.

No one had been identified as a suspect yesterday. A law-enforcement source familiar with the investigation said there are several leads to follow but declined to be specific.

Messer's law office in a strip mall at 1340 M St. S.E. had been burglarized three times in the past five months, said Cheryl Price, an Auburn police spokeswoman.

A burglar stole cashier's checks in March. Some assorted papers were stolen in February. And cash was taken in December. None of the break-ins has been solved, Price said.

A friend of Messer's called police Monday night and asked them to check on Messer because he had not been home and hadn't returned phone calls, Price said.

Police saw Messer's body through a window and found signs of a fight, Price said. The weapon used to kill Messer wasn't found.

Investigators will be questioning family, friends, and current and former clients, police said.

Todd McCrumb, an attorney who has an office in the same Auburn strip mall, called Messer a "regular nice guy."

"I can't imagine anyone would want to hurt him," McCrumb said. Messer worked long hours, often into the evenings, he said.

Messer received an admonishment — the most mild discipline meted out — from the Washington State Bar Association in December for failing to show up for a bankruptcy hearing. As a result, a car was repossessed from two of his clients, according to disciplinary documents. There was no indication yesterday that the case had anything to do with his death.

J. Patrick Coolican: 206-464-3315 or jcoolican@seattletimes.com