Tacoma couple charged in 'chillingly cold-blooded' slaying of Renton-area man The husband intended to kill the man in order to steal his home, reports allege

Photo: Tyler Packer / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm The Tacoma couple arrested in connection with the Sept. 19 death of...

The Tacoma couple arrested in connection with the Sept. 19 death of a man who lived outside of Renton was charged Monday for what prosecutors called the "chillingly cold-blooded" slaying they allegedly committed so the couple could occupy his house.

Jeremy Shaw, 39, has been accused of first-degree murder, second-degree arson, residential burglary and first-degree conspiracy to commit theft. Prosecutors said he planned the death of 67-year-old Steven Morphis and fatally struck him in the head before taking his car and setting it on fire in a town outside Tacoma.

King County Superior Court raised his bail from $1 million to $2.5 million.

RELATED: Report: Tacoma man killed Renton-area man to take his house

Lorena Shaw, 37, has been charged with residential burglary, second-degree arson, first-degree conspiracy to commit theft and felony rendering criminal assistance. Police said she helped her husband ransack Morphis's home, shuttled him from the burning car, and worked to help cover their tracks. Her bail was set at $500,000.

Prosecutors believe Jeremy Shaw developed an operation in which he planned to target a rural homeowner and take his or her property for himself and his wife.

Jeremy Shaw is also the owner of a roofing company called Aryan Enterprises and authorities claim they found several Nazi-themed and "white power"-affiliated items in the couple's home. Investigators discovered an attempted payment to Aryan Enterprises with Morphis's bank account number, but the amount exceeded the daily allowed spending limit. His ATM card was also allegedly used for an attempted payment to Aryan Enterprises' PayPal account.

Morphis's body wasn't discovered until about 7:10 p.m. Sept. 20, the day after his death, reports said. A contractor who arrived at his house to perform yard work in the 16700 block of 196th Avenue South -- between Renton and Maple Valley -- found him dead in his shed, limbs bound with zip ties and wrapped in a tarp. Responding deputies found a newly dug hole in the backyard that resembled a grave, according to the incident report.

Detectives also learned that Jeremy Shaw appeared to try to transfer $4,100 from Morphis's bank card to his PayPal account.

Two days later, authorities found Morphis's vehicle completely burned in University Place, a Tacoma suburb about 26 miles southwest of Morphis's home, but less than four miles from the Shaws' home. The fire that destroyed it appeared to be intentionally set, reports indicated.

Detectives served a search warrant on the Shaw couple's house and found Morphis's bank card and driver license, shredded. They detained the Shaws and questioned them at the Tacoma Police Department.

Jeremy Shaw was wearing Morphis's Boeing jacket at the time he was detained. Morphis had recently retired after a long career at the company, according to the sheriff's office.

The day of Morphis's death, Jeremy Shaw texted his wife that he was about to pick her up and he secured a house for them to live in, according to court documents. During the drive, he told her he knocked on the front door of the house and attacked Morphis.

RELATED: Charge: Woman shot her roommate in Bothell with AK-47

Click through for a look at the violent crime rates in Washington’s 25 largest cities. The numbers were collected in 2016 by the FBI and released as part of the annual Crime in the United States report. Click through for a look at the violent crime rates in Washington’s 25 largest cities. The numbers were collected in 2016 by the FBI and released as part of the annual Crime in the United States report. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI Image 1 of / 39 Caption Close Violent crime: A look at Washington’s largest cities 1 / 39 Back to Gallery

At the house, she rifled through paperwork and property, but contended she didn't take anything from the house.

The King County Medical Examiner determined that Morphis was hit five times in the head with a cylindrical object, causing skull fractures, and that his throat had been cut. They ruled that he died of blunt force head injuries. Each blow could have individually killed him, reports indicated.

Early the morning of Sept. 21, Jeremy Shaw asked his wife to follow him while he drove Morphis's Nissan Sentra through Tacoma and University Place and stopped in a 7-Eleven parking lot, where he told his wife to remain. He drove off and returned about five minutes later on foot and then drove his wife and her vehicle away from the area. He reportedly told his wife that Morphis's car "had been on fire."

Detectives said they found "collectible items" in the couple's house that appeared to belong to Morphis. Charging documents also claimed that they possessed a collection of equipment that could help them obscure their identities and avoid detection.

Furthermore, investigators discovered extensive research into several rural King County properties, including Morphis's residence, that shared commonalities such as large parcels not visible from the street occupied by a single resident and free of any mortgage or lien. They found a warranty deed purporting to transfer Morphis's property title to the Shaws.

Jeremy Shaw was arrested earlier this year on a felony warrant out of Kansas. He faces seven pending charges in Pierce County. His probation on a 2012 first-degree burglary charge ended in January, after serving several years in prison. In that case, he was convicted of breaking into a Pierce County home and stealing a shotgun and several other items. When the victim caught him, he reportedly jumped into his vehicle and rammed the victim's car several times as he left the scene.

SeattlePI reporter Lynsi Burton can be reached at 206-448-8381 or lynsiburton@seattlepi.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LynsiBurton_PI. Find more from Lynsi here.