‘A deadly situation’: Court documents reveal details of south Bellingham hammer homicide

Authorities say a Texas man who came to Whatcom County a month ago admitted to violently assaulting his partner multiple times with a hammer while high on methamphetamine, killing him.

James Anthony Singleton, 36, of Dallas, was charged Friday, June 7, in Whatcom County Superior Court with premeditated first-degree murder (domestic violence) for the June 6 death of Nolan Dennett, of Bellingham. Charging documents for Singleton allege that he acted with premeditated intent, and they include aggravating factors that state Singleton committed the crime against an intimate partner and that he was armed with a deadly weapon at the time of the crime — a hammer, according to court records.

Singleton was booked into the Whatcom County Jail in downtown Bellingham shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday, June 6. He was expected to make his initial appearance in court Friday afternoon.

Dennett’s cause and manner of death are pending, according to Deborah Hollis, chief investigator and operations manager for the Whatcom County Medical Examiner’s Office.

911 call

At 9:10 a.m. on June 6, Singleton called 911 to report an assault that occurred roughly two to three days earlier. Singleton told 911 dispatchers that he had been staying with his roommate, later identified as Dennett, for approximately one month, and that the pair “had been ‘doing crystal’ two to three times throughout the week,” according to court records obtained by The Herald.

Singleton told dispatchers that Dennett “was acting authoritatively” toward him, which resulted in a physical fight. Singleton told dispatchers he assaulted Dennett with a hammer — which he later threw out down the road — and it “resulted in a ‘bad injury’,” court documents state.

Singleton told dispatchers they were at an address in the 1700 block of Old Samish Road in south Bellingham, that “it was a deadly situation,”and that Dennett was “barely breathing” and bleeding from the head, the records show.

“I think he’s done for,” Singleton allegedly told 911 dispatchers. “I feel so guilty about it .... I am guilty,” court documents state.

Singleton said he had been high on methamphetamine for roughly two days and that he “forgot to call 911 to get an ambulance,” according to court records.

The Bellingham Police Department and medical personnel arrived and detained Singleton without incident. Medics declared Dennett dead on scene.

A portion of Old Samish Road in front of the property was closed shortly after Dennett was found dead while law enforcement investigated the incident, and for purposes of securing the scene. The road re-opened shortly after 5 p.m., a spokesperson with Bellingham police said.

The assaults

In an interview with Bellingham police detectives, Singleton said he met Dennett on an online website more than a month ago. The pair communicated for a couple weeks before Dennett paid for a bus ticket for Singleton to travel from Texas to Washington to live with him, court records state.

Singleton moved in to one of the bedrooms in Dennett’s residence, and the pair smoked methamphetamine together. Singleton said Dennett became “overly aggressive and dominant” over him. Dennett then gave Singleton a deadline to move out of the residence, documents state.

Singleton told detectives he feared for his safety and grabbed a hammer from a greenhouse outside the residence, which he brought into his bedroom.

While the pair were using meth roughly three days ago, Dennett came to Singleton’s bedroom door. Singleton told detectives he hit Dennett in the head several times with the hammer. Singleton then followed Dennett to the kitchen, where he again used the hammer to hit Dennett in the head multiple times, according to court records.

Dennett layed down on the couch, and Singleton told him to go to his room. Dennett went to the bathroom and then his room, where he got into bed.

Singleton “knew that Nolan Dennett was badly hurt but didn’t think he was going to die,” the court records state.

Singleton said he stayed in Dennett’s room for a while before taking Dennett’s car and discarding the hammer near the walking path to Arroyo Park.

“Singleton stated several times that he was high on ‘crystal’ and he was sorry for his actions,” court documents state.

The scene

Singleton voluntarily took detectives back to the scene where he discarded the hammer in the woods. Singleton told detectives he threw the hammer roughly 20 to 30 feet down the hill and pointed to the approximate location, the records show.

A Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office K9 team on scene found the hammer in the woods near the walking path to Arroyo Park. Crime scene investigators found blood on the hammer.

Detectives applied for and were granted search warrants for the Old Samish Road residence. Inside they found Dennett dead on the ground next to the bed in his bedroom with what appeared to be blunt force trauma to his head, court records state.

Detectives and crime scene investigators also found blood on the couch in the living room, and noted that there “was a large amount of blood all over the house,” the documents state. Blood was also found on Singleton’s clothing.

Probable cause was then developed to arrest Singleton on suspicion of first-degree murder for Dennett’s death. A domestic violence relationship was also established, because Singleton told detectives that he and Dennett were in a physical relationship and had been living together for a month, according to court records.

Resources

▪ Brigid Collins Family Support Center: 360-734-4616, brigidcollins.org

Brigid Collins Family Support Center professionals are on-call between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, to answer questions about children, families, abuse prevention or treatment at (360) 734-4616.

▪ Child Protective Services: Washington state hotline for reporting child abuse and neglect, 866-829-2153.

▪ Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services: 24-hour Help Line: 360-715-1563, Email: info@dvsas.org.

▪ Lummi Victims of Crime: 360-312-2015.

▪ Tl’ils Ta’á’altha Victims of Crime: 360-325-3310 or nooksacktribe.org/departments/youth-family-services/tlils-taaaltha-victims-of-crime-program/

▪ Bellingham Police: You can call anonymously at 360-778-8611, or go online at cob.org/tips.

▪ WWU Consultation and Sexual Assault Support Survivor Advocacy Services: 360-650-3700 or wp.wwu.edu/sexualviolence/.

If you or a child is in immediate danger, call 911 and make a report to law enforcement.

To report child abuse or neglect call 1-866-END HARM.