The family of a Seminole man who was murdered in 2023 has filed a civil suit against the man suspected of committing the crime.

According to court documents, the estate of Jacob Skyler Washington filed a wrongful death suit in Seminole County District Court earlier this week against John Nolte II, who was arrested last August for Washington’s murder. The lawsuit was filed March 4 by the victim’s mother, Georgia Washington and his grandmother, Barbara Washington, co-administrators of the estate.

The lawsuit alleges that “on or about May 13, 2023, Defendant Nolte wrongfully caused the death of Jacob Skyler Washington by shooting him multiple times with a firearm and/or other actions that caused such death.”

Washington went missing May 12, 2023. Five days later, he was found deceased in his vehicle, the victim of an apparent homicide. According to District Attorney Erik Johnson, Washington’s body was found in an advanced state of decomposition on an oilfield road off Old Highway 270.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Crime Scene Unit processed the crime scene, collecting physical evidence. That evidence, along with a subsequent investigation conducted by the Seminole Nation Lighthorse Police and agents from the District 22 Criminal Investigations Unit, led to the issuance of an arrest warrant for Nolte. On August 23, 2024, Nolte was arrested in Texas for Washington’s murder. A preliminary hearing in the criminal case is set for March 27.

“Defendant Nolte has acted in a manner that demands the imposition of punitive damages against him to be awarded to the Plaintiff Estate in an amount to be determined by a trier of fact that will serve to deter, punish and/ or make an example of said Defendant,” the suit states.

Last September, another arrest was made in the case. John Nolte III was arrested on charges of conspiracy, accessory to felony, arson and destroying evidence, all related to Washington’s murder. Nolte III turned himself in on Saturday, Sept. 7 after a warrant for his arrest was issued.

Washington was 33 years old at the time of his death and left behind two daughters and two sons.