A 32-year-old Des Moines man is being held on $5 million bail after a judge found probable cause Friday for second degree murder and first degree arson in connection with a fatal residential fire earlier this month.
During a first appearance hearing Friday afternoon, Feb. 13, a King County Superior Court judge found probable cause for Murder in the Second Degree and Arson in the First Degree following the arrest of Anthony Michael Rae Srey, according to court documents and the Des Moines Police Department.
The judge set bail at $5 million in the homicide investigation after prosecutors requested that amount. The defendant is currently held on $5,020,000 bail, which includes $5 million in the homicide and arson case and $20,000 in a separate Superior Court case.
According to the first appearance document prepared by Des Moines Police and presented in court by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, officers responded Feb. 1, 2026 to a structural fire at a residence in the 1400 block of South 216th Street in Des Moines. Fire personnel later located 45-year-old Bradley Sanders deceased inside the home (read our previous coverage here).
An autopsy conducted by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Sanders had been stabbed three times. The wounds included a stab to the chest that pierced the right lung, heart and left lung, and a wound to the neck that pierced the jugular vein. The report states both wounds would have been fatal.
Investigators wrote in the probable cause statement that surveillance footage from Ring cameras at the residence showed Srey leaving the home as smoke alarms were sounding and smoke was visible. Court documents state investigators recovered multiple knives from the property, including one near the victim’s body and another in a bedroom.
Fire investigators determined the fires inside the home were intentionally set and classified them as incendiary, according to the probable cause statement.
Court documents also state Srey was on electronic home monitoring at the time in connection with a separate King County Superior Court case.
A first appearance hearing following an arrest is not the same as a felony charging decision, which requires a higher burden of proof. Prosecutors said they anticipate receiving a formal case referral from police investigators by the afternoon of Feb. 18 for a charging decision.
Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
