Fugitive wanted in drowning of newborn son kills himself

Jen Lawson

Thursday, March 20, 2003 | 10:51 a.m.

A man wanted in connection with the 1997 drowning death of his baby son in a downtown Las Vegas hotel toilet killed himself early today during a standoff with police in suburban Seattle that lasted more than 30 hours, police said.

Kevin Dale Woo, 36, was wanted along with his girlfriend, Kristine Sue Westin, 29, on a federal warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution and second-degree murder for allegedly letting their newborn son drown in a toilet after Westin gave birth at the Lady Luck hotel-casino on July 13, 1997.

The standoff with Woo began about 10 p.m. Tuesday after police in Lynnwood, Wash., and FBI agents tried to serve Woo with an arrest warrant at the Extended StayAmerica, Deputy Chief Karen Manser of Lynnwood Police said.

When officers tried to get Woo to leave, he barricaded himself in his second-floor room with a gun. Police evacuated nearby rooms and began negotiating with Woo.

"He talked the whole time, even though he seemed tired," Manser said. "He wasn't hostile, but he wanted to control the situation."

Three teams of negotiators tried to talk Woo out of the room, Manser said.

Lynnwood Police negotiators were relieved by SWAT officers from the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office, then FBI agents took over last night.

"He wanted to talk to his girlfriend," Manser said. "They tried to make it happen this morning, but his girlfriend was acting strangely in the jail, having outbursts then cowering in the corner of her cell."

Woo shot himself around 5 a.m., she said.

Police learned Woo and Westin's whereabouts Tuesday night after they arrested Westin for shoplifting at a sporting goods store.

When city jail staff ran Westin's fingerprints, they found an outstanding warrant for her arrest in connection with the death of her baby.

Westin is expected to be brought back to Las Vegas to face the charges.