Trial begins for Lynda C. Mercy in Thomas Flood murder

The trial of Bellingham resident Lynda C. Mercy opened in Whatcom County Superior Court last week as she faces a charge of murder in the second degree in the shooting death of 67-year-old Thomas Flood. The complex proceeding is expected to continue for about a month and follows nearly five years of pretrial delays.

Court filings say Flood’s body was found April 7, 2021, on Semiahmoo Parkway in Blaine. Investigators tied the shooting to an area next to the Coupeville ferry dock through shell casings and a witness statement, according to court documents. The filings also list Flood as being from Freeland while describing him more broadly as a transient man with ties to South Whidbey. Whatcom County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Erik Sigmar described Flood as "sort of a hermit" who "lived out of his work van," according to The Bellingham Herald.

An affidavit filed in the case reports that a detective with the Bellingham Police Department and Mercy’s neighbors suggested Mercy’s mental health had changed and she had become more aggressive during the pandemic. Beyond an alleged argument between Mercy and Flood, court documents say they do not indicate a motive.

Mercy has been held in the Whatcom County jail since a judge set her bail at $1,000,000 in 2021. The trial date was rescheduled 27 times before the case finally went to trial. Prosecutors and local court officials are expected to present witness testimony and forensic evidence over the coming weeks, though specific trial schedules and witness lists were not detailed in the filings released so far.

For South Whidbey residents and frequent users of the Coupeville ferry, the case raises questions about how an investigation connected a death discovered in Blaine to a scene near the ferry dock. The ties to Freeland and descriptions of Flood as a transient highlight the way the region’s small communities and transient populations intersect with law enforcement work across county lines.

As the trial proceeds, Islanders can expect court coverage to clarify key unanswered items: the content of the witness statement that linked the shooting to the Coupeville ferry dock, the forensic import of the shell casings, the identity of the detective cited in the affidavit, and whether Mercy or her defense counsel will place mental health or other factors at issue. The month-long calendar will also test Whatcom County’s ability to manage a complex, multi-jurisdictional prosecution that has kept the community waiting for answers.