He ran over a man repeatedly at a drive-thru. His murder sentence has been handed down
A man has been sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for fatally running over a stranger at a fast-food restaurant drive-thru in Spanaway.
Christian Dressel, 23, received the sentence Wednesday after pleading guilty in August to second-degree murder in the killing of 68-year-old David James Brown, Pierce County Superior Court records show.
On Feb. 26, Dressel ran over Brown at least twice at a restaurant in the 20500 block of Mountain Highway East, authorities said.
The incident occurred after Dressel struck the vehicle in front of him in line, in which Brown was riding passenger. Brown exited the vehicle and walked behind Dressel’s Chrysler Pacifica. Dressel reversed and ran over Brown, according to surveillance video and witnesses cited by prosecutors in charging papers.
“The suspect vehicle continues reversing out of the drive-thru, but then pulls forward,” prosecutors wrote. “It appears that the rear tires of the suspect vehicle roll up onto the victim or completely over the victim. The suspect vehicle then reverses rapidly, driving over the victim yet again with both the rear and front tires.”
Dressel’s mother told authorities that her son was “mentally unstable,” according to the charging document.
Detectives believed that Dressel might have mistaken Brown’s vehicle for one he had seen earlier near his girlfriend’s home and followed it to confront the people inside, although there was no known connection between the victim and Dressel or Dressel’s girlfriend, according to the charging document. The victim’s wife reported to detectives that she had heard Dressel yell something similar to, “Tell your (expletive) boyfriend to stay away from my girl!”
Detectives said Dressel claimed it was an accident, but they also noted that he repeatedly changed parts of his story during their interview, the charging document shows. He ultimately acknowledged huffing a dust cleaner before entering the drive-thru, which he said caused him to black out.
Dressel was sentenced to 20 years, four months in prison, court records show, which is what prosecutors recommended. His defense attorneys had sought 16 years, citing his low IQ, abusive childhood and mental health struggles, among other issues, according to a memo filed with the court prior to sentencing.
In victim impact statements filed with the court, Brown’s family members pushed for the maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. His relatives described Brown as a man of faith who was loved by many, could fix anything and attracted onlookers with extravagant Christmas light displays.
Mikel Meyers, Brown’s brother, wrote that the fact Brown’s wife had to see her husband die exacerbated the family’s grief.
“My brother was well known for his gentle, loving ways and for his tender heart which makes the violence of the way he died a particular atrocity,” Meyers wrote.
This story was originally published October 7, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
