Ex-Bothell city councilmember arrested for murder after his ‘attorney’ calls 911
SEATTLE - James McNeal, a 58-year-old former councilmember of the Bothell City Council, was arrested by Seattle police on suspicion of murder Tuesday night in South Seattle.
The arrest follows the discovery of the body of a 20-year-old woman, who was found strangled to death inside a home.
According to Seattle Police and court documents obtained by FOX 13 News, McNeal attempted to cut his own wrist. He is currently in "satisfactory" condition at Harborview Medical Center.
The 911 recordings indicate that the emergency call reporting the death was made on McNeal's behalf by someone identifying themselves as an attorney, before police began their investigation.
"Caller is not providing a lot of information," a dispatcher said in audio of the 911 call obtained by FOX 13 Seattle. "But says he is an attorney and was notified to represent a male that lives inside this home, and then said a homicide has taken place but would not elaborate further on that."
Alex Grimes, a resident of the street where the murder occurred, told FOX 13 Seattle he recognized McNeal as the suspect. Grimes described seeing McNeal occasionally bringing food into the home.
"I'd seen him hanging around every couple months bringing food in," said Grimes. "I knew he had a pickup truck. It was strange to see someone that old hanging out with her."
McNeal served as a leader in the Bothell community for nearly a decade as a council member. His tenure ended on Dec. 31, 2023. Bothell city officials have referred all inquiries to the Seattle Police Department.
According to a friend, the victim worked as a stripper and had a troubled past but was described as kind and deserving of more. The friend expressed disbelief that McNeal could be involved in such a crime, stating, "No one thinks that this is the man who is going to murder her."
FOX 13 Seattle was holding off naming the victim until the prosecutors released more information. Those documents, including the victim's name, Liliya Guyvoronsky, were released Wednesday afternoon.
A bail hearing for McNeal is scheduled for Thursday.
This is a developing story; check back for updates.
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