The case against Two Dogs Salvatore Fasaga, previously known as Justin Roy McCloud, 43, of Onalaska, who is accused of murdering and dismembering a man in May 2018, was moved from King County Superior Court to Lewis County Superior Court last week.
Fasaga faces one count each of first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm.
A King County Superior Court judge approved a motion by Fasaga’s attorney to change venue earlier this month, finding that because the murder itself allegedly took place in Lewis County, Fasaga’s trial should be held in Lewis County, according to court documents.
The documents, which were filed in Lewis County Superior Court on June 20, were initially filed in King County Superior Court in January 2020 following a lengthy police investigation.
Fasaga had a preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on Thursday, June 28, where Judge J. Andrew Toynbee ruled to maintain the $5 million bail initially set by King County Superior Court. Toynbee additionally upheld no contact orders preventing Fasaga from contacting specific potential witnesses.
“I don’t see that anything has changed other than the venue,” Toynbee said Thursday.
Trial is scheduled to begin the week of July 10, with a trial confirmation hearing scheduled for Thursday, July 6.
Fasaga is accused of fatally shooting the victim, Paul Snarski, also known as “Hound,” 40, of Auburn, in the face with a .45 caliber semi-automatic at Fasaga’s Onalaska residence late on May 11, 2018 or on May 12, 2018.
Fasaga then allegedly dismembered Snarski’s body with “what appears to be some type of saw” and had others dispose of Snarski’s remains, vehicle and shoes, according to court documents.
Snarski was last seen alive on May 11, 2018, when he reportedly left his Auburn residence to spend Mother’s Day with his mom in Oregon, according to court documents.
His brother reported him missing on May 29, 2018.
Snarski “left no ‘footprint’ indicating he is alive” after his disappearance on May 11, an Auburn detective wrote in a probable cause determination.
The detective noted Snarski and Fasaga were “longtime associates” who “likely met while incarcerated together in their late teens at Green Hill School in Centralia,” adding the two have “violent criminal histories” and have associated together, “on and off,” for over 20 years.
“Since the onset of this investigation, detectives have heard rumors that Snarski was killed by Two Dogs Fasaga at Fasaga’s property in Onalaska,” the detective stated.
In July 2018, Snarski’s vehicle was found abandoned at a Federal Way apartment complex, according to charging documents. In June 2019, Snarski’s shoes and a latex glove with Fasaga’s DNA on it were found near Fasaga’s grandmother’s house in unincorporated Thurston County, according to court documents.
One subject, identified in court documents as LJ, allegedly dumped a box given to him by Fasaga near Federal Way then, when neighbors complained, the subject allegedly moved the container to a remote area of Pierce County. Law enforcement searched the area described by LJ in June 2019 and found a human torso, according to court documents.
Fasaga was arrested by the FBI on unrelated federal weapons charges in April 2019 and remained in federal custody through at least February 2020, according to reporting done by the The Seattle Times at the time. That federal case has since been resolved, according to Fasaga’s attorney, Peter Connick.
Those federal charges stemmed from a July 10, 2018 incident where Fasaga allegedly used a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol to shoot at a vehicle in Onalaska, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
The felony case stemming from that incident was dismissed from Lewis County Superior Court without prejudice in December 2018 because prosecutors were having trouble getting in touch with the victim, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
Fasaga was in custody in the King County Jail as of Thursday, June 29, but is expected to be transported to the Lewis County Jail before trial.
