Man dies 2 years after beating in Seattle; suspect charged May 5, 2021 FacebookTwitterEmail SEATTLE (AP) — A Washington state man who pleaded guilty in the 2019 beating of a 62-year-old homeless man in Seattle has been charged with second-degree murder after prosecutors said the man died two years later as a result of the attack. King County prosecutors said Ryan Johnston, 42, previously pleaded guilty to first-degree assault after hitting Jeffrey Christenson and bludgeoning him with a traffic cone while he was resting outside the Central Library in Seattle, The Seattle Times reported. An autopsy determined that Christenson died two years later from delayed complications and his death was a homicide. Johnston now faces a second-degree murder charge. Court records do not show if he has an attorney who could comment on his behalf.