Kent man, 20, gets 13 years in 2024 killing of 13-year-old boy

Published 2:42 pm Wednesday, June 24, 2026

A now 20-year-old Kent man received a prison sentence of just over 13 years for his lead role in the killing of a 13-year-old boy in 2024 at a Kent park.

Faysal Abdullahi, one of four charged with murder in the case, pleaded guilty June 11 to first-degree manslaughter and first-degree robbery, according to court documents. Following his guilty plea in the fatal shooting of Matthiew Stavkovy, King County Superior Court Judge Brian M. McDonald issued a sentence of 161 months, 12 months longer than what prosecutors requested.

King County prosecutors agreed to reduce the initial charge of first-degree murder to manslaughter in return for a guilty plea by Abdullahi. The cases for the other three, joined as co-defendants, are in the pre-trial stage. Prosecutors argued for a high-end sentencing of Abdullahi, 125 months for manslaughter, plus 24 months for a deadly firearm enhancement and 54 months for robbery to run concurrent with the first charge for a total of 149 months.

“A truly unprecedented thing happened on this one – the family asked the defendant to agree to an additional year in prison, so that he would serve a sentence commensurate with the age of the victim at the time of his death,” said Douglas Wagoner, a King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson, in a June 23 email. “The defendant agreed.”

Wagoner said sentencing decisions are ultimately up to a judge, in line with the sentencing ranges set by state lawmakers, which means they cannot go beyond the range.

Abdullahi signed the following guilty plea statement:

“On July 16, 2024, in King County, Washington, I arranged to purchase camera equipment from a seller on Offerup,” Abdullahi wrote. “I recruited three others to participate so that I could take the equipment without paying. I was aware of other participants being armed with a firearm.

“During the meeting with the seller, I took the camera equipment by use of force and threatened force. As we were fleeing the scene, one of the participants I brought to the scene fired a gun shot and it struck victim M.S. in the back and M.S. died from his injuries.”

Crime details

Stavkovy died of a gunshot wound to his back in the incident near Turnkey Park, 23300 100th Ave. SE.

Kent Police first arrested Abdullahi, then 18, on July 18, 2024 at his Kent home. Detectives later arrested brothers Diaviante Dunmore, then 20, and Marsais Dunmore, then 16, on July 25, 2024 at a Covington apartment complex. Prosecutors decided to charge Marsais Dunmore as an adult, which is allowed under state law when a juvenile age 16 or 17 commits a felony. Marsais Dunmore also faces a second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm charge because he is under 18.

Semarias Woods, then 17, of Kent, came with his mother and a family friend to the Kent Police Station July 26, 2024 to turn himself in, according to charging documents. Woods also is being charged as an adult.

According to charging papers, Abdullahi reportedly arranged through OfferUp, an app for selling items, to meet a friend of Matthiew’s who was selling camera equipment, and to rob him of the camera gear. Diaviante Dunmore reportedly joined Abdullahi at Turnkey Park to make the deal.

Woods allegedly served as the getaway driver and parked in an apartment complex near the park, according to charging documents.

Marsais Dunmore allegedly appeared shortly after the other two at the park and fired a shot. Diaviante Dunmore said during an interview with detectives that caused a panic and he and the male selling the camera gear ran into each other. Diaviante Dunmore said he grabbed the backpack holding the camera gear and the three of them ran back to a Ford Fusion parked in the Olympic Skyline Apartments.

Matthiew and his 15-year-old sister jumped on their ATV after the shot was fired to flee the park. As they drove away, more shots reportedly were fired by Marsais Dunmore and one hit Matthiew.

Diaviante Dunmore said the shooting was never supposed to happen, according to charging papers. He said the gun was there in case something goes wrong. He admitted they planned to take the camera gear without paying.

Detectives used IP addresses from the OfferUP records and cellphone records to track down home addresses for Abdullahi in Kent and the two brothers in Covington. Detectives recovered some of the stolen camera equipment from Abdullahi’s residence.

Detectives also seized the vehicle reportedly used in the crime, which belonged to the father of the Dunmore brothers.

“These co-defendants worked together as accomplices to orchestrate an armed robbery in a neighborhood park on a 15-year-old victim,” wrote Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Thomas O’Ban in charging papers. “These co-defendants left a 13-year-old bystander dead and narrowly missed striking his 15-year-old sister with bullets.

“The co-defendants then fled the scene and evaded law enforcement until the thorough investigation by Kent Police Department detectives made continued evasion impossible.”

The Dunmore brothers each played football at Kentlake High School, according to sports websites. Diaviante Dunmore was a wide receiver in 2022 and graduated in 2023, according to 247sports.com. Marsais Dunmore also played football at Kentlake and was a member of the Class of 2025, according to hudl.com. Diaviante Dunmore also played basketball at Kentlake, according to hudl.com. Woods was listed as a member of the Kentlake Class of 2026 and as a football player, according to hudl.com.

Matthiew Stavkovy

Matthiew, 13, played an active role at Bread of Life Church in Kent, according to church videos posted in 2024. The church held a prayer service for Matthiew just one day after he was shot.

One of the speakers described Matthiew and his family as being very involved in the church. He would sing songs, preach sermons and read bible verses.

“I see a big setback for the family,” the speaker said. “Maybe in two or three years from now he (Matthiew) would have been helping the father and brother with their work. In two or three years, he could have been plugged into this church as a minister and a powerful preacher like his brother.”