14-Year-Old Murder Suspect Has A Record Bellingham Runaway Brought Gun To School When He Was 12 Years Old

A teenager facing one count of first-degree murder in a weekend stabbing in Spokane has a criminal past that includes packing a gun to school, kicking in classroom walls, theft and felony assault.

Brandon R. Molony, 14, a runaway from Bellingham, was charged Tuesday with the murder of Kenneth D. Brown. It occurred in the alley near a Texaco station at Maple Street and Northwest Boulevard on Sunday at 6:30 p.m.

Brown, 57, lived alone not far from where the stabbing took place, police said.

A 15-year-old, Nicholas Limpert, has also been arrested because police suspect he was involved, , but he hasn’t been charged.

Court documents say Molony and Limpert planned to rob Brown on Sunday evening. During the robbery, Molony allegedly pulled a knife and began to stab Brown.

Court papers say Molony later admitted to stabbing Brown at least 12 times, before slicing off the victim’s fanny pack.

A customer at the Texaco station chased Molony and Limpert until police arrived, according to court documents.

Once in custody, court papers say, Molony told police Detective Kip Hollenbeck that he hid the knife and fanny pack while running from police. Both were recovered.

Molony apparently ran away from his Bellingham home Oct. 24.

He has an extensive criminal record in Western Washington, according to court records. In late 1998, when he was 12, he was arrested for carrying a gun into a Bellevue school. He pleaded guilty last year to two felony charges in that incident - possession and delivery of a firearm. He was sentenced to 20 days in jail.

He also pleaded guilty to two separate theft charges in King County in 1999.

Soon after, Molony was arrested in Snohomish County for felony assault. He pleaded guilty again, getting one day in detention.

In June 2000, he was arrested for kicking a hole in a wall at a Bellingham alternative school.

After pleading guilty to malicious mischief, Molony was ordered to undergo counseling and remain on probation. He violated the probation Oct. 24 when he left home.

Since Molony faces a first-degree murder charge with an aggravating circumstance, prosecutors are expected to hold a hearing to determine if Molony should be charged as an adult.

Brown was well-known in the neighborhood and patronized the nearby Albertson’s grocery store and Medicine Shoppe pharmacy.

“Ken was just so open, loving and free. He would not hurt a fly,” said Peggy Lamanna, a pharmacist at the Medicine Shoppe.