A 22-year-old Costco employee has been charged with murder after allegedly using his car to kill a coworker he was obsessed with, according to prosecutors.
Tyler Martin Sorensen of Renton, Washington, is accused of fatally striking Jonathon Langdon on July 31 after Sorensen witnessed Langdon hugging Samantha Peterson, a coworker Sorensen considered his girlfriend, despite Peterson stating they were never romantically involved.
According to charging documents, Sorensen became enraged after seeing Peterson and Langdon embrace in the Costco Headquarters parking lot in North Issaquah, Washington. He allegedly revved his car's engine and drove towards them, narrowly missing the pair. Sorensen then texted friends, "Always told me he was just a friend. My blood is boiling," along with a photo of Peterson and Langdon.
Sorensen is alleged to have waited approximately 10 minutes for Langdon to leave the parking lot on his motorcycle before following him at high speed. Prosecutors claim Sorensen swerved his sedan into the back of Langdon's motorcycle, throwing the 20-year-old onto a roadside sign. Langdon died at the scene.
Investigators state that Sorensen did not call for help and instead drove home, stopping only to check his own vehicle for damage. He was later pulled over and ticketed for speeding by a Washington State Patrol trooper unaware of the fatal hit-and-run that had occurred nearby.
Sorensen reportedly returned to the crash site with his father and surrendered to police. During questioning, he allegedly admitted, "it was stupid but I, I was, I meant to do it." He also stated that Peterson always insisted Langdon was just a friend, and that he "got pretty, I don't know, panicked, riled up, just adrenaline."
However, Peterson informed investigators that she and Sorensen had never dated and that she had repeatedly warned him about crossing boundaries and requested he give her space.
Elaine S. Lee, Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for King County, requested bail be set at $2 million, stating Sorensen "refused to accept the boundaries set by Samantha Peterson" and believed "if he could not have Ms. Peterson, no one could."
Sorensen faces felony charges including second-degree murder, second-degree assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly using his car to endanger the victim, and criminal attempt for taking steps toward committing a violent offense.