Man charged with killing his mother near Auburn and Federal Way

Published 9:10 am Wednesday, March 4, 2026

A man was charged with killing his mother in the Auburn-Federal Way area, but the defendant’s competency to stand trial is now in question.

On Feb. 27, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (KCPAO) charged Antony Ton Le, 30, of unincorporated King County, with second-degree murder. Le’s charge stems from an incident that occurred Feb. 24 at the Stonebrook Village Condos, 28710 34th Ave. S., Auburn, where his roommate found Le’s mother, 61-year-old Thuy Nu Thu Ton, on the ground of their apartment, wrapped in blankets, and Le said he killed her.

The incident occurred between Federal Way and Auburn, near Thomas Jefferson High School.

According to KCPAO spokesperson Casey McNerthney, Le’s arraignment, where an initial plea is entered, was scheduled for March 4, but Le’s attorney filed a motion for a competency evaluation to determine whether he is competent to stand trial. McNerthney said that an arraignment can proceed after competency matters are addressed.

Le is currently held at the King County Correctional Facility on a $2 million bail.

“Undersigned counsel met with Mr. Le at the King County Correctional Facility after his arrest in this case,” a motion for a competency evaluation read. “Mr. Le presented as irrational, delusional, and with pressured speech that indicated he lacked the capacity to understand the nature of the proceedings against him and to assist in his own defense as a result of a mental disease or defect.”

Details of the case

According to charging documents, at about 1:50 p.m. Feb. 24, officers received a call reporting that someone was unresponsive at the Stonebrook Village Condos. The caller reported that he found his roommate, Ton, on the ground in the condo wrapped in blankets, and that he thought she was possibly assaulted by her son, who is bipolar.

When sheriff’s office deputies entered the residence, they found Ton unresponsive with clear signs of injuries to her face. Ton’s eyes were swollen, and blood flowed from her nose. Officers attempted life-saving measures, but at 2:09 p.m., she was declared dead.

The caller reported that he rents a room to Le, and that Ton, Le’s mother, would often stay at the caller’s condo to cook, clean and do Le’s laundry. The caller stated that Le has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and he has a history of being violent when he does not take medication, according to documents.

The caller stated that Le stopped taking his medication five months prior, and his mental health had deteriorated ever since. He added that Le is prone to violence and had become increasingly hostile toward him and Ton. The caller stated that, because of Le’s increasing hostility, he was trying not to engage with Le unless he had to.

The caller reported that when he discovered Ton, he reached down, moved the blankets covering her and found her lying with her arms folded across her chest. The caller stated that Ton had obvious injuries to her face. He then got a neighbor to call 911 because he does not own a phone.

According to documents, deputies attempted to make contact with Le multiple times, but were unsuccessful. At 3:35 p.m., officers then made entry into the condo, found him in a bedroom, and then took him into custody. When Le was taken into custody, he was asked if he had any medical issues, and he replied, “I did it.” Officers then took Le to SeaTac City Hall for an interview.

When a detective asked what occurred that day, Le stated that he killed his mother after the two got into an argument about inheritance and school. Le said that he killed his mother for nothing. However, he then blamed the attack on a demon from the television that was possessing him to kill his mother, but he also stated that the demon had actually possessed his mother, not him.

Le stated that the day of the killing, at 11 a.m., he grabbed Ton in a chokehold and threw her to the ground, and began “curb stomping” Ton’s neck. Le stated that he was very angry at his mother, and he likely killed her on the third stomp, but he continued stomping on her and “overkilled” her.

Le stated that after that assault, he tried to heal his mother by putting pillows and blankets on top of her. Le stated that his mother died about 30 minutes later, and then he gave her a hug. He said he did not call the police because he thought that his roommate would call when he eventually came home.

Documents state that Le said that he quit taking medication, and he denied using any drugs, except for marijuana, which he said he used the day he killed his mother. When asked if he knew killing his mom was wrong, he told officers, “Yes,” unless she deserved it.

“Antony said he was not possessed by anything, and he killed his mom simply to kill her. He said he was a killing machine, and he is not safe around anybody who is rude and disrespectful and possessed,” documents state. “He said he felt disrespected by his mom for years.”

According to documents, during the interview, Le made numerous incoherent and nonsensical statements about demon possession, being one with starlight, power levels, Googleplex bugs, rug pulling, Lucifer and artificial intelligence. At the end of the interview, Le expressed hatred of his mother, and he said that a percentage of his statements were untrue, except for the portion of his statement about killing his mother.