The evidence against him was damning; freshly covered bullet holes and traces of blood were found in his home, where Wenner and Lewis had been staying.
The backstory of the victims reveals a tragic series of events. Jessica Lewis, 35, and her boyfriend Austin Wenner, 27, had rented a room from Dudley in Burien, Washington, in late 2019.
By summer 2020, they had disappeared. According to court documents, a neighbor reported hearing a man’s desperate pleas for his life, followed by gunshots on June 9, 2020. Despite the police being called, Dudley refused to open the door.
A History of Violence
Further investigation revealed that Dudley had killed the couple over a dispute about unpaid rent. The tenants were not only murdered but also dismembered, their body parts crammed into the suitcase discovered on Alki Beach.
The viral TikTok video that brought this atrocity to public attention played a crucial role in the investigation and subsequent arrest of Dudley.
Michael Dudley’s history of violent behavior was further corroborated by testimonies from his ex-girlfriend and family members of the victims. His ex-girlfriend, Marlys Gordon, recounted an incident where Dudley assaulted her, and Jessica Lewis’ aunt, Gina Jaschke, revealed on “Worst Roommate Ever” that Dudley had previously held Lewis at gunpoint and made other violent threats.
