A Seattle man was charged with targeted home burglaries of four Seattle-area professional athletes while they were at games, including the homes of Seattle Mariners all star Julio Rodríguez, former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman and two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell.
Earl Riley, 21, is charged with first-degree robbery, first-degree malicious mischief and possessing stolen property for burglarizing several homes of pro athletes starting in February. The occupied homes of Seattle Mariners center fielder Rodríguez and Sherman, as well as the homes of Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Snell. He was also charged with robbing someone at gunpoint in Sherman’s home.
Earl Riley, in a photo from charging documents. (King County Prosecutor’s Office)
Earl Riley, in a photo from charging documents. (King County Prosecutor’s Office)
Earl Riley, in a photo from charging documents. (King County Prosecutor’s Office)
Prosecutors found objects from the athletes’ homes among Riley’s belongings, and some had been gifted to his family, according to a probable cause document.
The man was also seen on video footage at the scene of a Pioneer Square shooting that killed three people, driving with one of the suspects at a club on the night of the killings. When the suspects in that case were later arrested at a home, Riley was seen leaving the area shortly before SWAT arrived, prosecutors allege.
All of the armed break-ins are believed to have been committed by the same two men, according to the King County Prosecutor’s Office. One of the suspects has not been publicly identified. GPS phone records placed Riley near the scene of four of the burglaries while they were occurring, according to the charges.
On Feb. 7, Riley was sentenced by a superior court judge to a mental health sentencing alternative for three counts of robbery and released from the King County Jail that day.
Late that day, Castillo’s home in Issaquah was burglarized by two suspects, according to the charging documents. The suspects stole over $6,000 in Louis Vuitton bags before driving away.
Surveillance footage from the homes captured a similar looking vehicle determined to be a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
About a month later, Edmonds police responded to a home burglary at Snell’s house. Snell was born and raised in the Seattle area. The suspects were gone when police arrived, according to the documents, but there were signs of forced entry, like a broken window and disturbed belongings.
Surveillance footage from the home showed two masked suspects entering and leaving with bags, according to the documents. The stolen items included two $75,000 watches and other bags and jewelry items, totaling over $244,000 in value.
Days later, Castillo’s home was burglarized again. Footage captured a Grand Jeep Cherokee fleeing on video again, according to the court documents. Luggage, watches and other items worth over $100,000 were allegedly stolen.
A couple days after, the suspects allegedly pulled up in the driveway of Hall of Fame designated hitter Edgar Martinez — who is now on the Mariners coaching staff — but they left when they realized someone was home, according to the documents. The day after, someone related to Sherman called 911 and reported the Maple Valley home had been broken into while she and children were in the home, according to the probable cause statement. One of the men pointed a firearm at one of the people in the home and his children and demanded to know where Sherman was before taking the victim’s phone and jewelry, according to the probable cause statement. The victim told police the firearm appeared to have a “switch” installed — a device that can convert a semiautomatic handgun to fully automatic, according to the charges.
In May, Rodriguez’s Mercer Island home was burglarized while his girlfriend was home, according to the charges. She barricaded herself in the bathroom while one of the suspects tried to force their way in, according to the charges. They fled with nearly $200,000 worth of belongings. Police located and tailed the car as it was driving away before hearing several bangs. Nearby utility workers reported they were gunshots, causing them to take cover. A shell casing was found nearby, the charges state.
Last month, Sherman told police that he had a friend who heard from people at a bar who said they had cash from selling “Richard Sherman’s watches,” according to the charges. The friends identified the people from social media accounts, according to the documents. Booking photos from past incidents and social media photos were compared to identify subjects, according to the probable cause statement. In one photo, Riley is allegedly wearing a watch that matches one stolen from Snell’s house, according to the charges.
A search warrant was executed on Riley’s grandparents home, where several missing items from the athletes’ homes were found, the court papers say. During an interview with detectives, Riley repeatedly said he could “not remember” where he got his car or several of the items.
In each case, victim statements and surveillance footage showed the suspect had a short and slight physical build that matches Riley’s according to the probable cause.
While investigating the burglaries, detectives surveilled Riley in his Jeep and noticed “distinct similarities” between his car and the one captured on video, like chrome details and a dealership placard, according to the documents. Officers also reportedly found articles of clothing in the Jeep that matched what the suspect was seen wearing on video surveillance from the homes.
At least one other person is suspected in the burglaries. Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Gary Ernsdorff said in a statement from the King County prosecuting attorney’s office that Riley is believed to be the “ringleader” of the group.
“All people deserve to feel safe in their homes, and our office will continue to hold people accountable for criminal behavior,” Prosecutor Leesa Manion said in a news release.
Riley is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.
Seattle Times staff.