A Seattle transient was convicted of his third strike this week for the murder of a women in a vacant Bellevue apartment last year.
Justin Bacani, 36, was convicted of second degree murder Dec. 8 for the strangulation death of Annelise Harrison in February 2015.
Maintenance workers at the Ridgedale Apartments found Harrison’s body in the bathroom of an apartment undergoing construction. Harrison’s body was found on February 2, 2015 — six days after she reportedly told her mother she “was done” with Bacani, whom she had been dating.
Bacani reportedly had a history of violent behavior towards girlfriends, including Harrison.
An ex-girlfriend told police that he had become angry and choked her until she passed out more than 10 times during their relationship.The same woman stated that Bacani said he “would never hit her where they could see a mark,” according to court documents.
Bacani’s anger emerged several times during his latest trial. He was placed under restraints during the last week of the trial following several outbursts and an incident on Nov. 14 in which he jumped atop a table, destroyed a computer monitor and had to be restrained by six security guards.
Police found several signs of a struggle, including Harrison’s disheveled clothing and multiple marks on the newly painted hallway walls, baseboards and flooring inside the apartment. Investigators later confirmed that blood found around the apartment belonged to Harrison and Bacani.
Bacani’s had been the last phone number dialed on the cell phone found with Harrison at the crime scene. Video footage also showed the pair arriving at the Bellevue Transit Center just before midnight on Feb. 1 and walking near Sammamish High School around 12:30 a.m. on Feb. 2.
Additional footage from a police body camera showed Bacani carrying a bag that belonged to Harrison in Seattle the next day.
Over the last 11 years, Bacani had been convicted in a robbery case and for two instances of assault. Thursday’s convictions was his “third strike” under Washington law and he will be subject to a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.
