PORTLAND, Ore. -- After an extensive manhunt in Washington and Oregon, a Washington man sought by police for the murder of his girlfriend in Port Orchard was arrested in Wilsonville, Ore., Wednesday night.
The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office says David Kalac, 33, was taken into custody without incident at the Wilsonville TriMet station after he surrendered to authorities. Police said he was being cooperative and was transported to the Clackamas County Jail.
Kalac is accused of beating his girlfriend, Amber Coplin, to death and leaving behind a grisly crime scene in their Port Orchard apartment Tuesday afternoon. Deputies said he posted photos of the crime scene online and said on social media that he was hoping to die from "suicide by cop."
Detectives have confirmed the photos posted online are of the victim and the crime scene. Kalac is now charged with second-degree murder in her death.
"He's our primary suspect," Kitsap County Sheriff's Deputy Wilson said Wednesday. "It stands to reason that in all likelihood he is the person who posted those photographs."
After fleeing Port Orchard in his girlfriend's gold 2001 Ford Focus, police in Portland spotted the vehicle just after 1 a.m. Wednesday. Officers tried to pull the car over, but the driver sped away and led police on a high speed chase. Police stopped chasing the suspect after he began swerving dangerously into oncoming traffic.
The suspect's getaway car was found abandoned late Wednesday afternoon in the 1300 block of SW Custer Street in Portland, according to Kitsap County police. Police teams later canvassed the area near where the vehicle had been found.
Police later confirmed Kalac was arrested at 8:50 p.m. in Wilsonville, about 20 miles southwest of Portland.
Victim's son finds grisly crime scene
Kalac lived with Coplin, 30, and her 13-year-old son in a Port Orchard apartment. The teen told police that his mother and Kalac argued loudly Monday night. Witnesses also said they heard what sounded like a violent argument and loud thumping and banging noises coming from the apartment.
The teen told police he thought his mom was sleeping in and Kalac was gone when he left the apartment Tuesday morning, court documents reveal. Later that day, he became worried that something was wrong and called his dad for help. The teen discovered Coplin's body around 3:30 p.m.
The boy's father, who is Coplin's estranged husband, called 911, Wilson said. The caller reported that Coplin's face had been bashed in, her car was missing and she was bloody and bruised, court documents show.
When police found Coplin dead in her bedroom, she was surrounded by hand-written messages, according to the probable cause document. Writing on a picture said, "She killed me first." On the blinds were the words "bad news," and "dead" was written across her drivers license.
Investigators said Coplin "had obvious homicidal violence to her body" and neighbors told them they heard "loud thumping and banging noises coming from the apartment" during the night, according to the probable cause document.
They also learned that Kalac sent an odd text message to a friend hours after the murder, stating that people will see him "in the news" soon.
Before his arrest, Kalac had an active warrant for his arrest, for second-degree murder and domestic violence out of Kitsap County, Wash. The judge said his bail would be set at $2 million after capture.
