May 1-Karl Vance, 45, of Des Moines, has been charged with first-degree murder and second-degree assault for the April 27 killing of his estranged wife, Monique Vance.

She died bleeding in the doorway of a Des Moines apartment after he allegedly shot her-with a gun he'd been ordered to give up.

King County Prosecutor's office spokesman Dan Donohoe said last week that prosecutors might boost the charge to aggravated murder, which would allow for a death sentence or life in prison without parole.

Vance had been ordered to surrender his guns in February when SeaTac prosecutors filed misdemeanor domestic violence charges against him, alleging that he assaulted and harassed his wife, according to court documents.

The trial had been scheduled to begin the day before the killing, but was delayed at his attorney's request.

According to police reports, Monique Vance was visiting her estranged husband at an apartment at 21829 31st Ave. S. when the shooting occurred just after 7 p.m.

Monique Vance ran from the apartment and Karl Vance allegedly pursued her with a .357 caliber magnum revolver in hand.

She went to a neighbor's door, knocking and asking for help, according to police. He allegedly shot her to death waiting outside the door.

Police said he admitted to a friend that he killed his wife shortly before coming out of his apartment and surrendering after a brief standoff.

Vance is set to be arraigned May 15 at the Regional Justice Center in Kent. If convicted on a charge of first-degree murder, he would likely face 29 to 37 years in prison.

Home 'banker' charged in client tax-evasion scheme

May 1-A Des Moines man was charged in U.S. District Court with allegedly operating an illegal "warehouse bank" involving some $28 million out of his home.

According to unsealed court documents, Robert Arant was charged in a civil complaint on April 6 with promoting abusive tax shelters and unlawfully interfering with internal revenue laws.

Arant allegedly had hundreds of customers-many of whom apparently used the bank to conceal assets for the purpose of evading taxes-who wanted the discretion of a Swiss bank account without going to Switzerland.

U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman issued a preliminary injunction last month freezing the assets of Arant's bank, Olympic Business Systems LLC, after IRS agent Susan Killingsworth filed a sworn declaration with the court.

Agents seized computers and financial records last month from the home where Arant lives with the property's owner, Martin F. Dugan.

He allegedly took customers' money, promising to keep their identities private, pooled it in six accounts, then paid their bills, charging them fees, from those commercial bank accounts.

Arant could face civil penalties of $1,000 for each false statement he made in promoting the scheme.

Motorcycle rider killed in night accident on I-5

May 2-A motorcyclist was killed when he lost control of his motorcycle on Interstate 5 just north of the Kent-Des Moines Road.

Several other vehicles then struck state Trooper Jeff Merrill said Adam Spencer, 34, of Federal Way, died instantly when he crashed about 10:19 p.m.

2 Highline men injured in accident near Monroe

May 2-A 65-year-old Sultan woman died on U.S. Highway 2 east of Monroe when her sedan crossed the center line and crashed into a utility truck.

The Washington State Patrol reported said the truck driver was a 38-year-old Des Moines man. His passengers were a 35-year-old Burien resident and a 20-year-old Seattle resident.

All three were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

Kitsap tip leads to bust of hidden home pot farm

May 3-A tip from Kitsap County led detectives to a substantial pot farm a hidden chamber underneath a Des Moines home.

When detectives opened a toolbox inside the garage of the house, they found an entrance into an underground chamber with 250 marijuana plants inside and 25 more in a van outside.

Then the homeowner led them to a house in Burien, where they found 100 more marijuana plants.

"It's significant, especially for a residential area," said Kitsap County sheriff's spokesman Scott Wilson.

No arrests were made. Detectives will forward the case to King County prosecutors, who will decide whether to press charges. The house was red-tagged when police officers declared the house unsafe.

North Highline Teen dies from burns in gasoline explosion

May 3-A 14-year-old boy died at Harborview Medical Center on May 5 after he was critically burned in a gasoline explosion the previous afternoon.

North Highline firefighters reported that the explosion occurred just after 4 p.m. Friday in the yard behind a Top Hat-neighborhood house in the 10800 block of 4th Ave. S.

The youth, who was not identified by Saturday morning, was rushed to Harborview's burn center with third-degree burns over his entire body.

Arson investigators and King County Sheriff's detectives were investigating the explosion but gave no indication that a crime was involved.

KOMO Radio reported that the victim and another boy apparently had used gasoline to light a backyard campfire and the container leaked fuel.

Deputy Bob Conner said the gasoline can "went off like a bomb" while the victim was carrying it.

Compiled by Ralph Nichols