Driver Pleads Guilty in Edmonds Ferry Dock Plunge That Killed Two Passengers

A man who drove a stolen car off the Edmonds ferry terminal while fleeing police, causing the deaths of two passengers, has pleaded guilty to four felony charges. The plea was entered Wednesday afternoon in Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett.

William Russell-Leonard, 30, admitted he was behind the wheel on the night of June 17, 2025. The stolen Mini Cooper he was driving led officers on a chase from I-5 to the Edmonds waterfront before it plunged off the ferry dock, according to court documents.

Police pulled three people from the water, including Russell-Leonard. Rescue divers found the two other passengers, Melanie Ross, 48, and Porsha Sapp, 45, dead.

Russell-Leonard was originally charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the course of a felony and two counts of vehicular homicide. On Wednesday he pleaded guilty instead to two counts of vehicular homicide with disregard for the safety of others, one count of second-degree assault and one count of possession of a stolen vehicle. Court records say each offense occurred while he was on community custody for an earlier conviction.

An arrest affidavit from last year states that investigators believe he took the Mini Cooper from an ex-girlfriend days before the crash. The Washington State Patrol first tried to stop the car after troopers clocked it going nearly 20 mph over the speed limit on I-5 shortly after 11 p.m. that night, records said.

That pursuit ended in under five minutes when it was terminated. A few minutes later, a Snohomish County Sheriff's deputy saw the vehicle and began chasing it. The deputy lost track of the car as it traveled at more than 120 mph through Lynnwood and into Edmonds, according to court documents. He then came upon knocked-over orange cones and a broken wooden crossing arm near the entrance to the ferry dock, and heard people screaming from the water.

Investigators believe Russell-Leonard was high on drugs at the time of the crash, court documents said.

Superior Court Judge Cindy Larsen accepted the plea. She said the two vehicular homicide counts each carry a maximum sentence of life in prison, while the assault and stolen vehicle counts each carry a maximum of 10 years.

The judge outlined the standard sentencing ranges for the case: 67 to 89 months for the vehicular homicide counts, 33 to 43 months for second-degree assault, and 17 to 22 months for possession of a stolen vehicle. Russell-Leonard is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 11.