Ex-roommate charged with 2011 murder of Ballard man

According to our news partners at The Seattle Times, the former roommate of the 53-year-old Ballard man whose remains were found on a converyor belt in Georgetown in 2011 has been arrested.

The Seattle Times reports that 59-year-old Scott L. Halfhill, who lived with Meyer in an apartment in the 6300 block of 22nd Ave NW, has been charged with second-degree murder and was arrested earlier this month.

Halfhill had reportedly been a long time suspect in the murder of Donald Stephen Meyer, however, it took police a few years to compile forensic evidence needed to complete the case.

According to The Seattle Times, a motive for the murder has not been made clear, however, a number of witnesses and friends had heard Halfhill constantly complain about and criticize Meyer.

Meyer was last seen at his Ballard home around June 17, 2011, and was reported missing a week later by friends who were worried that he had not made contact with anyone. He reportedly had left his “treasured” guitar and amp and his phone which remained unused for a week.

“They kept going to his house and his roommate kept telling them, ‘He’s not here right now, which did not seem right,’” police said after Meyer’s murder.

According to The Seattle Times, the homicide detectives took over from the Missing Persons Unit on July 1, 2011, and a week later Meyer’s torso was found on a conveyor belt of a Georgetown recycling center. Further remains of Meyer’s body were found six months later on a hill under the Ship Canal Bridge.

When Meyer’s home was searched, police found one room had been totally stripped, with the walls repainted and carpet removed. According to court documents, however, police found blood that both matched Meyer’s and Halfhill’s DNA profile inside the room.

The Seattle Times reports that Halfhill, who already has a criminal history including multiple assault convictions, is being held in King County jail with a bail of $1 million. Halfhill is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. in the King County Courthouse.