DES MOINES, WA - A man with a disturbing criminal history is facing a murder charge following the death of a Washington senior citizen.
Jake Berman, 39, faces the charge after allegedly beating 69-year old Marla Knigge and stabbing her in the neck with tweezers at his mother's condominium complex. Prosecutors charged Berman in the case after obtaining DNA evidence that allegedly matched him to the murder scene, as well as finding tweezers in his possession linked to the murder weapon, according to Washington KOMO.
One police detective referenced Berman's penchant for bizarre criminal conduct in the arrest report for the suspect.
“As I continued to review Jake’s history, I found he has a propensity for assaulting unsuspecting victims," Des Moines Police detective Brian Flynn said of the defendant in the document.
Police disclosed to KOMO that they suspected Berman played a role in the incident soon after finding Knigge dead. Authorities allegedly found that Berman's hands and body featured marks that were consistent with a severe assault at the time of his arrest. Berman's mother lives at the same residential location as the victim.
Berman told a jail nurse that he had sustained the marks on his body from fighting with police officers during his arrest, an assertion that police state is untrue.
"Jake did not fight with the officers during the arrest but the jail nurse's observations further solidified my belief that Jake's injury to his hands and foot/ankle appeared fresh and were from some type of assault."
In 2024 alone, Berman faced arrest for two different assaults on individuals- one at a Safeway grocery store, and the other at a condominium complex. An April domestic violence incident spurred a SWAT response, and Berman is under investigation for possibly beating and robbing a 72-year old man in public in July. Some members of the public are questioning how Berman remained in the community in spite of his involvement in frequent acts of violence.
"I told [Berman's mother] the assault investigation of her neighbor (the July 21 assault and robbery) was active and ongoing and her son, Jake, had been identified as a person of interest," Detective Flynn said of an intercation with Berman's mother the night of Knigge's murder.
"[Mother] seemed shocked and stated Jake is always home and never leaves the residence. [Mother] denied my requests to have Jake speak with me about his involvement in person or on the phone."
Berman is being held in custody at the King County Jail on a $2 million bond, according to KOMO.
Jake Berman, 39, faces the charge after allegedly beating 69-year old Marla Knigge and stabbing her in the neck with tweezers at his mother's condominium complex. Prosecutors charged Berman in the case after obtaining DNA evidence that allegedly matched him to the murder scene, as well as finding tweezers in his possession linked to the murder weapon, according to Washington KOMO.
One police detective referenced Berman's penchant for bizarre criminal conduct in the arrest report for the suspect.
“As I continued to review Jake’s history, I found he has a propensity for assaulting unsuspecting victims," Des Moines Police detective Brian Flynn said of the defendant in the document.
Police disclosed to KOMO that they suspected Berman played a role in the incident soon after finding Knigge dead. Authorities allegedly found that Berman's hands and body featured marks that were consistent with a severe assault at the time of his arrest. Berman's mother lives at the same residential location as the victim.
Berman told a jail nurse that he had sustained the marks on his body from fighting with police officers during his arrest, an assertion that police state is untrue.
"Jake did not fight with the officers during the arrest but the jail nurse's observations further solidified my belief that Jake's injury to his hands and foot/ankle appeared fresh and were from some type of assault."
In 2024 alone, Berman faced arrest for two different assaults on individuals- one at a Safeway grocery store, and the other at a condominium complex. An April domestic violence incident spurred a SWAT response, and Berman is under investigation for possibly beating and robbing a 72-year old man in public in July. Some members of the public are questioning how Berman remained in the community in spite of his involvement in frequent acts of violence.
"I told [Berman's mother] the assault investigation of her neighbor (the July 21 assault and robbery) was active and ongoing and her son, Jake, had been identified as a person of interest," Detective Flynn said of an intercation with Berman's mother the night of Knigge's murder.
"[Mother] seemed shocked and stated Jake is always home and never leaves the residence. [Mother] denied my requests to have Jake speak with me about his involvement in person or on the phone."
Berman is being held in custody at the King County Jail on a $2 million bond, according to KOMO.
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