Duane Moore was found guilty of first degree murder after killing a Bonney Lake woman.

The verdict was delivered March 26 after one day of deliberation.

According to court charging documents, Bonney Lake resident Kayla Vallee, 40, was reported missing by her parents on Dec. 9, 2023, after not returning from visiting Moore to discuss custody of their son.

Vallee had requested her mother or a friend to be present when discussing her gaining custody of her son, but Moore refused.

Hours after she left, Moore brought his son to Vallee’s parents, leaving him in the driveway with his belongings. Vallee was not with them, and Moore left without speaking to her parents.

When her parents talked to the child, he said Moore told his son that he was going to prison “because of what his mother did,” charging documents read.

Law enforcement arrived at Moore’s University Place apartment and, after receiving no answer when they knocked on the door, got the apartment manager to open the unit. When they entered, they saw Vallee’s body wrapped in a blanket; she was shot three times. A gun (located in a tennis shoe), bullet, and casings were also found.

Later, witnesses would say that Vallee had never before entered Moore’s apartment or car “due to the nature of their relationship and ongoing custody issues.”

While at the apartment, law enforcement was told that Moore’s vehicle was spotted in a forested area in Buckley.

When law enforcement contacted Moore, he initially did not comply with orders to leave his car. Deputies then broke his window using “less lethal munitions” and Moore emerged, keeping one hand out of view. He then attempted to run toward the officers, but fell. While Moore was trying to reach around his waist area, a less lethal round and taser were used to allow law enforcement to arrest him.

Officers noticed he was dazed, and Buckley firefighters concluded he needed to go to the hospital, where he stayed for five days.

Moore pleaded not guilty at his Dec. 15 arraignment.

His sentencing has been scheduled for May 9.

Murder in the first degree is reserved for defendants who planned to commit a murder. As a class A felony, Moore can be sentenced up to life in prison and fines up to $50,000.