A Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier accused of gunning down two Seattle nurses at a 2023 music festival has formally pleaded not guilty in military court, keeping a closely watched case very much alive on both sides of the Cascades.
The brief hearing on Friday marked the first public step in the Army's prosecution, months after the case shifted out of civilian courts. Friends and coworkers of the victims have been tracking every move as the legal fight moves from Grant County into the military justice system.
According to KING 5, the soldier, identified in court records as James M. Kelly, appeared in military pretrial confinement and entered a not guilty plea. KING 5 reports the session was largely procedural, with Kelly saying little beyond the plea itself.
Army custody and the charges
The Army took custody of Kelly in February and brought charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, moving the case out of civilian jurisdiction, according to the Columbia Basin Herald. The outlet reports that Kelly was moved from the Grant County Jail into military pretrial confinement on Feb. 9 and that the Army charge sheet lists multiple counts of murder and attempted murder along with drug related allegations.
The victims and the 2023 attack
Investigators identified the two people who were killed as Seattle nurses Brandy Escamilla and Josilyn Ruiz. They were shot at the Gorge Amphitheatre campgrounds during the Beyond Wonderland music festival on June 17, 2023, KIRO 7 reported. Several other festivalgoers were wounded in the chaos, and KIRO 7 noted that the killings sparked vigils and a wave of grief in Seattle's nursing community and beyond.
Legal outlook
Civilian investigative records and Washington State Patrol summaries cited in local coverage say Kelly had taken psilocybin mushrooms and was experiencing hallucinations shortly before the shooting, the Columbia Basin Herald reported. With the case now in military hands, an Article 32 hearing, the military equivalent of a preliminary hearing, could be scheduled before any potential court martial, although the Army has not released a timeline.
The families of Escamilla and Ruiz have also turned to civil court. A wrongful death lawsuit against Live Nation, the company behind the festival, was filed last year, KIRO 7 reported. For now, the not guilty plea is the latest procedural move in a tragedy that began in the Gorge campgrounds and continues to echo through Seattle's medical and festival scenes.
