'Lethal Landlord' in Washington Killed and Dismembered Couple Over Unpaid Rent: Police

A homeowner from Washington got into an argument with his renters and killed them, police stated.

Michael Lee Dudley, 66, was sentenced to 46 years in prison for the murder of Jessica Lewis and Austin Wenner, who were renting his Burien home in 2020, Westside Seattle reported.

The couple, and Dudley, argued with each other allegedly on the issue of unpaid rent, Westside Seattle reported. The prosecutors claimed that Dudley shot the couple and then dismembered their bodies.

The whole incident was covered by Netflix’s hit true crime series Worst Roommate Ever. The documentary sheds light on past instances of violence by Dudley. Lewis’ aunt, Gina Jaschke, claimed that Dudley had killed animals and placed a tracker in her niece's car in the past.

The couple's remains were recovered by three teenagers along the rocky shores of Seattle’s Alki Beach, Independent reported. The teenagers noticed a black bag floating on the waters, hauled it out, and filmed themselves opening it for their social media accounts. The bag was filled with rotting human remains.

The teenagers called the police and a murder investigation was launched, BBC reported. 

Seattle Police homicide detectives, in collaboration with the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, identified the remains to be of the victims, the Seattle Police Department stated.

According to court documents, the police had visited the Burien house on June 9, 2020, after a neighbor had informed them about hearing gunshots, Independent reported.

Dudley did not open his house to the police during this visit. Ten days later, the teenagers recovered the remains.

After the identification of the remains, the authorities got a search warrant for the residence, Independent reported. Authorities found freshly covered bullet holes and traces of blood in the house.

Dudley, who earned the moniker "The Lethal Landlord", was arrested on August 19, 2020, on suspicion of murder.

The case went to trial and Dudley was found guilty of four counts of second-degree murder by the jury, Westside Seattle reported.

Lewis' aunt, Jaschke, was satisfied with the verdict and said, "It had been a rollercoaster ride for two and a half years. We are relieved and thankful that a jury of his peers was able to sit back and put the pieces of his diabolical puzzle together. That in the end they used their common sense and the evidence to find him guilty of all charges. Our families will never fill the empty void without them that our hearts will always have, but at least now we can truly start the healing process," Westside Seattle reported.

Dudley was sentenced to 46 years in prison and will not be eligible for parole until the age of 104, Independent reported.