Suspect arrested in Kirkland murder case

An arrest has been made in a Kirkland murder that took place about a block from Lake Washington in September 2006.

Kirkland police arrested a 29-year-old suspect Thursday morning and he will have his first court appearance in King County District Court in Redmond at 1 p.m. today, said Kirkland Police Lt. Brad Gilmore The Times does not generally name suspects until they have been charged.

The arrest was made in connection with the death of John A. Schuoler, 23, whose body was found Sept. 15 in an apartment in the 10100 block of Northeast 64th Street, a mile south of downtown Kirkland.

The death was first reported as a possible suicide, but was later determined to be a homicide by the King County Medical Examiner's Office. Schuoler was found lying in the apartment with a wound to the right side of his head and no weapon nearby, according to the warrants.

Detectives questioned Schuoler's roommate, then 28, who said he had last seen Schuoler alive Sept. 14.

Schuoler was a 2001 graduate of Lake Washington High School and had worked at a Kirkland hotel.

The suspect was arrested at the Kirkland Police Department, where he met with detectives, said Gilmore, and he's being held in the Kirkland city jail.

Peyton Whitely: 206-464-2259 or pwhitely@seattletimes.com