The Federal Bureau of Investigation is offering up to a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a man who is a suspect in a pair of 2023 Federal Way murders.

According to the FBI, the bureau is looking for information about Samuel Ramirez, who is charged with one count of first-degree murder, one count of second-degree murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Ramirez’s charges stem from a May 21, 2023, incident where Ramirez allegedly shot and killed two bartenders at the Stars Bar and Grill, 31216 Pacific Highway S. The two bartenders were 37-year-old Katie Duhnke and 38-year-old Jessyca Hohn.

According to charging documents, following the shooting of the two bartenders, Ramirez also shot at a customer who tried to diffuse an argument that occurred immediately before the shooting between Ramirez and one of the murdered bartenders.

According to an FBI flyer, following the homicides, Ramirez fled to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, and was then driven into Tijuana, Mexico, by his parents on May 23, 2023. According to the FBI, Ramirez has ties to Jalisco and Sinaloa, Mexico, Lake Havasu City, Arizona, Compton, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada.

According to the FBI, Ramirez is described as a 33-year-old Hispanic man who is 6 feet tall, weighs 200 pounds, and has tattoos on several parts of his body, including the face of a lion on his right wrist and forearm. He is considered armed and dangerous.

Details of the case

According to charging documents, around 3:30 a.m. May 21, 2023, police responded to 31216 Pacific Highway S. for reports of a shooting at the Stars Bar and Grill that injured two employees. The two employees, Duhnke and Hohn, died at the scene.

The third victim, a customer, told police the suspect got into a dispute with one of the women and allegedly hit her. The customer said that less than an hour before the killings, he saw Ramirez with a gun. The customer told Duhnke and Hohn about the gun, which reportedly led to the women confronting Ramirez.

The customer intervened and pushed Ramirez away and tackled him to the ground. He held Ramirez down until the suspect said he was done fighting.

When Ramirez stood up, he allegedly pulled out a handgun from his pocket and shot both of the women.

Duhnke was shot first, once in the head, according to the medical examiner’s autopsy. Ramirez allegedly shot Hohn in the back and head from behind as she was on the ground and he stood above her, documents state. Ramirez then allegedly shot several rounds toward the customer as he ran away from the scene.

An unidentified witness allegedly told police she was planning to go on a date with Ramirez the morning of May 21, but Ramirez texted her around 4:24 a.m. to cancel, saying he had made a big mistake and that she would read about it in the news.

Receipt transactions from the bar that night showed the suspect’s name, and additional security footage showed a man matching Ramirez’s description.

Autopsy reports from the King County Medical Examiner’s Office show Duhnke died from a single gunshot wound to the head. Hohn died from three gunshot wounds, entering from the back, and one additional gunshot wound to the back of her head. Both deaths are ruled as homicides.

Patrons at Stars Bar and Grill take a shot in memory of Katie Duhnke and Jessyca Hohn on May 31, 2023, during a celebration of life for the two women. File photo

A memorial at Stars Bar and Grill includes photos, cards, flowers and trinkets set in reverence of Jessyca Hohn and Katie Duhnke, who were killed just outside the bar May 21, 2023. File photo