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Accused of driving a car off the Edmonds-Kingston ferry dock in June 2025, killing two passengers, William Russell-Leonard on Wednesday pled guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide, one count of second-degree assault and one count of possessing a stolen vehicle. The plea was entered before Judge Cindy Larsen in Snohomish County Superior Court.
According to court documents, the 29-year-old Russell-Leonard was under the influence of intoxicants when he drove a 2012 Mini Cooper off the dock after a police pursuit that began in Everett. At the time the car went into the water, it was carrying Russell-Leonard and four passengers.
Russell-Leonard and two others in the car — Licia Tracey Gonzalez, 30, of Auburn and Jose Luis Serrano, 38, of Federal Way — were rescued from the water and transported to Harborview for medical evaluation. Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office divers recovered passengers Melanie Elizabeth Ross, 48, of Auburn and Portsha C. Sapp, 45, of Lakewood from the vehicle. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
According to court documents, a Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office deputy observed the vehicle traveling more than 100 mph and weaving through traffic on southbound Interstate 5 near the South Everett Park and Ride, which prompted a pursuit. The vehicle exited at 196th Street Southwest in Lynnwood and continued west toward Edmonds before crashing through the ferry terminal crossing gates shortly before midnight. It plunged into Puget Sound, where it came to rest upside down in about 40 feet of water.
Russell-Leonard’s sentencing is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11.
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