Ivanov pleads not guilty in shooting deaths of 3 in Mukilteo

EVERETT — A young man accused of killing three people in Mukilteo pleaded not guilty Monday to murder charges.

Allen Ivanov entered the pleas during a brief hearing in Snohomish County Superior Court.

Ivanov was charged Friday with three counts of aggravated murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder.

For the first time Monday, Ivanov was represented in court by a legal team that included an attorney who is qualified by the state to handle potential death-penalty cases. Aggravated murder carries two sentencing alternatives: death or life in prison.

Snohomish County Prosecutor Mark Roe will have to decide whether to seek capital punishment. Roe has extended his deadline on that from 30 days to sometime in the next four months, deputy prosecutor Adam Cornell told Judge Thomas Wynne.

“Mr. Roe is not inclined to extend beyond the 120-day period,” Cornell said.

The defense team did not challenge the state’s request to keep Ivanov in jail without bail. His lawyers have until mid December to prepare materials for Roe to consider in his decision on what punishment to seek.

Meanwhile, the criminal investigation is ongoing, and the “voluminous” case file is likely to continue to grow, Cornell said. He hopes to have the bulk of the case available for the defense by sometime next week.

Trial is now scheduled for October, however both sides agree that timeline is unlikely.

Prosecutors allege that Ivanov, 19, plotted the deadly July 30 ambush days in advance because he was upset that his former girlfriend was moving on without him. Detectives obtained text messages indicating that Ivanov was jealous that Anna Bui, 19, was seeing other guys. On July 25 he allegedly wrote that he planned to kill her. The day before the shootings, he texted a friend, saying, “If nothing happens, I’m going for it.” He reportedly indicated that he wanted to wait until after he took a gun-safety class so he wouldn’t “mess up.”

His friend tried to dissuade Ivanov from committing murder, saying he should go deer hunting and distract himself.

Ivanov allegedly wrote back, “no. I’m killing everyone at a huge party.”

Prosecutors say Ivanov waited outside the Mukilteo house, stalking the party-goers for two hours before he armed himself with an assault-style rifle he’d purchased four days earlier.

Jake Long was shot to death first when he came across Ivanov’s hiding spot. Will Kramer and Jordan Ebner were shot near an outdoor fire pit. Kramer was struck in the shoulder and ran to safety. Ebner, who was shot multiple times, did not survive.

Kramer’s father was among those who attended Monday’s hearing. When Ivanov entered the courtroom, one woman seated with the victims’ families began to sob.

Ivanov allegedly hunted Bui down inside the house. He shot her multiple times as she was seated with friends around a table. The gunfire continued when Ivanov allegedly climbed to a second-story balcony. He shot at his former classmates as they ran from the house.

Ivanov reportedly told police he ran out of ammunition and planned to return to the party once he reloaded. Instead, he drove off, heading south on I-5. Police were able to track his location on the freeway using his cellphone.

He was arrested about 100 miles away. The rifle loaded with a 30-round magazine was resting on the passenger seat.

Ivanov reportedly called several people while fleeing, including his mother.

He told her he was driving toward Portland and that he’d been involved in a shooting. The call was disconnected when police pulled him over, his mom told a dispatcher.

Bui had just finished her freshman year at the University of Washington Bothell. Friends said that she was a good student who loved music and recently returned from a traveling abroad. She’d talked about pursuing a degree in medicine and dreamed of a life spent healing others.

Long, 19, was a talented athlete who attended the University of South Florida in Tampa and was planning to transfer back to the Pacific Northwest after being accepted to Washington State University for his sophomore year.

Family described Ebner, 19, as a loving and caring young man. He was a dedicated student at Everett Community College.

Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.