Memorial walk planned for 80-year-old Seattle dog owner who died in car theft

LOS ANGELES — A memorial march is planned for Wednesday evening to honor Ruth Dalton, the 80-year-old woman who was killed in a carjacking in Seattle in August while working as a dog walker.

The Justice for Ruth march begins at 6:30 p.m. at the intersection of Harrison Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way East and ends in Madison Park.

City leaders are expected to participate in the march along with friends, community members and Dalton's family.

“We are hoping for a large turnout to show Ruth’s family that they have support,” organizer Gina Gilmore Purdy told KOMO News.

Dalton died on August 20 when her car was stolen and she was subsequently hit by her own car.

Jahmed Haynes, 48, has been charged with murder, assault and animal cruelty in connection with the deaths of Dalton and her dog Prince Eric.

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According to charging documents, the video showed Haynes pacing around Dalton's car before jumping into the vehicle, pushing her out and running her over. Dalton had several of her clients' dogs in the car at the time of the carjacking. Some of the dogs escaped from the car and ran away, but all have since been returned to their owners.

According to police, Haynes drove to a park in south Seattle, where he stabbed Dalton's dog and left the body in a trash can.

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Haynes is an eight-time convicted felon who served about 30 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter, assault and robbery.

While in prison, Haynes was classified as a “high-risk offender” for future crimes. In 2003, he attacked two correctional officers at a Monroe prison. The attack could have been his third offense in Washington, which would have sent him to prison for the rest of his life.

Thanks to an agreement with the Snohomish County District Attorney's Office, he was spared that fate and was finally released in 2017. His probation ended in 2018. Court records show no new criminal charges against Haynes since the end of his probation.

Haynes is scheduled to appear in court Thursday morning for an arraignment on charges related to Dalton's murder.