Suspected Getaway Driver Charged In Lakewood Woman's Murder

LAKEWOOD, WA — The man accused of driving a murder suspect to and from the scene of the crime pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges Wednesday. Bonifacio Alvarez Reynolds, 20, turned himself into Lakewood Police Tuesday. He is being held on $2 million bail. Marcus Williams, a friend of Alvarez Reynolds, is accused of stabbing McChord Mart owner In Choe several times during the October 14th robbery. He is still on the run and police believe he is armed and dangerous.

In court documents filed Wednesday, prosecutors allege Alvarez Reynolds and Williams bragged to a friend that they had committed a robbery on the night of the crime. Investigators said they received several tips related to the murder, but just one person seemed to match the one seen in surveillance video. According to detectives, a DNA swab taken from a barbecue sauce bottle the suspect touched in the store positively matched to Williams.

Video released by police Tuesday shows Choe, a longtime store owner and beloved community member, struggling with a hooded suspect. She was stabbed several times during the altercation and chased the man out of the store with a baton. A passerby found her in a car outside the store a few minutes later and called for help. Medics rushed Choe to Madigan Army Medical Center, where she was later pronounced dead.

Following the murder, the community came out in droves to organize a memorial outside McChord Mart, and dozens attended a funeral service organized by her family last month. Police are still searching for Choe's killer, and police ask anyone with information to call 911 or contact Crimestoppers.