http://www.king5.com/news/911-tapes-...-92506054.html
New details are emerging surrounding a home robbery in Edgewood that began with a Craigslist ad and ended with a homeowner shot and killed.
The manhunt continues for four people - three men and woman - accused of robbing and killing 43-year-old James Sanders and assaulting his family at their Edgewood home Wednesday night.
Pierce County detectives believe two of the men were also responsible for a similar violent attack at a Lake Stevens home last weekend. In both cases, the robbers were responding to ads posted on Craigslist. Police have released the 911 tapes in the Edgewood attack and sketches of the two suspects in both attacks.
Police say the Sanders family was preparing to leave for a big family reunion and recently posted an ad on Craigslist to sell a diamond ring. Investigators say a woman came to the house, saying she was interested in buying the ring. When she arrived, she was with three men who barged into the house with guns drawn.
The suspects tied up Sanders, his wife and their two sons and ransacked the home. When one of the suspects starting beating the 14-year-old son and hitting the wife, the father, James Sanders, tried to protect his family. He was shot multiple times in front of his family.
Police say the suspects took a number of items, including the diamond ring, then took off in a car. Police say the younger son managed to get the ties off and called 911 after the attackers fled.
In an excerpt of the 911 call tapes released, Sanders' wife tries to explain to dispatchers what happened:
Caller: Listen, you guys, I'm the wife. My husband was selling a ring, he was coming to pick it up and they came into our house and asked me questions and we had a thousand bucks and ...
Deputies swarmed the home, which is located on a private road, and combed the area for the suspects, but their search came up empty. Neighbors tried to help the family.
"I brought the boys over here because the one that had been hit really hard in the head," says neighbor Kamille Papini. "He was holding his head [saying] 'Mom, my head hurts.'"
Relatives of the family are upset and can't believe this happened. The family is extremely close ? so close many of them live in the same neighborhood.
Sanders' cousin Ryan Vaughn lives across the street from the family. He says Sanders and his wife lived in their dream home with their two sons. Relatives say the two were soul mates, married for eight years in a blended family.
"He was a great guy, good father, good husband worked really hard," said Vaughn. "(Sanders) knew how to handle himself. I have no doubt they did what they did to them, but for God sakes he's already tied up. Take what you want. From everything I heard, he wasn't trying to put up a fight. Just get these guys the hell out of his house."
Friends were also stunned to hear about the violent tragedy.
"People are sick. I don't know what to say," said one friend. "It is sad and we are praying for them."
Neighbor Robert Papini remembers how his neighbor helped him when his dog died.
"Jim came over helped us and we were burying him and he was sitting there crying with me about my dog," says Papini. "He's just that type of person.
Investigators say they're still working on specific descriptions of the getaway car and suspects. Right now, they are described as three men and a woman, "dark-skinned." The suspects were wearing bandanas so the witnesses said they were not able to get a good look at their faces.
Police also recovered some evidence along Highway 156 heading northbound near 227th Street. Police believe items stolen from the house were thrown out of the car.
Detectives said a tip from the public is what police need to solve this case.
A fundraiser will be held at the salon where Sanders' wife works this Sunday, May 2. It will be at the Salong 10 & Day Spa at 1420 Meridian E. Suite #10, in Milton from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
A fund has been set up to help the Sanders family. Anyone interested can donate to the "Jim Sanders Memorial Fund" at any Bank of America branch