Prosecutors charge two with first-degree murder in death of Sammamish man

Kevin David Patterson, 20, and Christopher John Shade, 18, were charged by King County prosecutors in Superior Court on Friday, Sept. 19, with first-degree murder in the death of Richard Bergesen, 57, of Sammamish.

King County prosecutors have filed charges against the two men accused of killing a Sammamish man in his home Wednesday.

Kevin David Patterson, 20, and Christopher John Shade, 18, were charged by King County prosecutors in Superior Court on Friday, Sept. 19, with first-degree murder in the death of Richard Bergesen, 57, of Sammamish. The two also were charged with first-degree robbery and theft of a motor vehicle.

Bergesen was killed late Tuesday or early Wednesday by a blunt force impact to the head, according to an autopsy report released by the King County Medical Examiner’s office Friday afternoon. In statements to prosecutors, Patterson and Shade both said that the other beat Bergesen to death with a shovel. The pair then stole Bergesen’s car, crossing the Canadian border on a dirt road north of Spokane, according to charging papers. In Canada, the two used Bergesen’s credit card to purchase prepaid cell phones, a laptop and other items.

While Patterson claimed in charging documents that Bergesen made unwanted sexual advances on him Tuesday, text messages between Bergesen and Patterson’s sister show that Bergesen was concerned about Patterson’s enrollment in college, and whether he was making restitution payments for breaking in to the King County Library branch in Redmond.

Patterson was living in Bergesen’s home through an outreach program to help the homeless through Bergesen’s church, Overlake Christian Church in Redmond. Overlake has not responded to interview requests by the Reporter.

Both men remain in Canadian custody on charges of possessing stolen property. The King County Prosecutor’s Office has begun the extradition process for Patterson – who holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and Canada – and Shade, and have asked that both men be held in lieu of a $2 million bond.