The couple—who ran a successful small craft brewery in Olalla called E2W Brewing—was found dead by Kitsap County’s deputies around 5:15 p.m. on August 18 after their daughter called 911 after noticing signs of forced entry and traces of blood in their home.
Courts documents revealed that Alicia Shulz had been in contact with her father Steve the day before the killings, but she was unable to get in touch with them the day after. Concerned about her parents’ health, she went to visit them at their home on the 12900 block of Shady Glen Avenue. When she could not find the two, she called her boyfriend and 911.
Rose, who was formally identified as the main suspect on August 20, was on the run until the night of August 21, when the 40-year-old man was arrested with the support of the Tacoma Police Department.
He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder with aggravated circumstances. On Tuesday, he appeared in court where he pleaded not guilty. He’s currently being held in custody without bail.
The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately discuss details about how the couple was killed, but court documents showed that Steve and Mina Shulz were likely shot to death, based on their injuries.
The bodies, court documents uncovered, were found by Kitsap County’s officers in a garbage can on the couple’s property near the deck. Deputies obtained a search warrant to process the home and the scene and found the bodies of the couple in the garbage can, as suspected.
According to the filed court documents, Rose got into the Shulzs’ house by firing a gun through the glass panes on a door into the master bedroom.
Inside the room, investigators found that several drawers had been pulled and several items were missing, including a handgun and Mina Shulz’s wallet.
Investigators believe that Rose used Mina Shulz’s credit card to pay for fast food on the same day of the killings, as the woman’s credit card and ID, together with her husband’s, were found in the same car that the suspect stole when fleeing the couple’s home, a Toyota Prius.
A receipt from a fast food transaction using Mina Shulz’s credit card was confirmed by detectives analyzing surveillance footage from the restaurant where Rose had stopped by.
Though police initially said there was no apparent connection between Rose and the Shulzs, according to court documents the 40-year-man lived in an RV on a neighbor’s property with his girlfriend Danielle.
Detectives found blood-stained clothing and a cellphone on a trunk in the RV which Rose’s girlfriend identified as belonging to the suspect.
