A woman accused of murdering a Whidbey Island man nearly five years ago finally went to trial in Whatcom County Superior Court.

Bellingham resident Lynda C. Mercy is facing a charge of murder in the second degree in the death of 67-year-old Thomas Flood, a transient man from South Whidbey. His body was found on April 7, 2021 on Semiahmoo Parkway in Blaine, but shell casings and a witness statement tied the shooting death to an area next to the Coupeville ferry dock, according to court documents.

The complex trial started last week and is expected to continue for a month.

Mercy has been in Whatcom County jail awaiting trial since the judge set her bail at $1 million in 2021. The trial date was rescheduled 27 times.

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. Court documents state that he was from Freeland.

According to Cascadia Daily News, the deputy prosecutor argued during opening arguments that Mercy shot Flood twice near his van parked at the Coupeville ferry terminal. A witness saw Flood arguing with a woman there on the day before his body was discovered, according to the affidavit of probable cause. The witness positively identified Mercy, the police report states.

Mercy allegedly drove Flood’s Ford Econoline van north, dumped his body and then left his van in Fairhaven, according to court documents. After Flood’s body was found, detectives located the van by “pinging” his cell phone, which was inside the vehicle. The report describes blood pooled on the floorboards and in other areas inside the van.

Boys who were biking with their father discovered Flood’s body covered with blankets and a mattress.

Flood was shot twice in the torso. According to Cascadia Daily News, the deputy prosecutor said neither shot would have been fatal by itself and that medical intervention likely would have saved his life.

Mercy’s attorney pointed out that nobody saw or heard the gunshots; he was critical of the investigation, pointing out that security footage from the ferry terminal wasn’t available because it was overridden every 45 days and police didn’t obtain it, Cascadia Daily News reported.

The affidavit of probable cause written by a deputy with the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office erroneously states that the ferry dock and the alleged site of the shooting was in Langley instead of rural Coupeville.

Detectives searched the area next to the ferry where Flood had parked his van to sleep and found a Sellier & Bellot .40-caliber casing. Mercy had purchased a .40-caliber pistol in December 2020 and had posted a photograph of a box of Sellier & Bellot .40-caliber ammo on her Instagram account, the affidavit says.

Detectives were able to trace the van’s movements through the cell phone data and located surveillance video from different businesses. They posted still images of a suspect on social media and asked the public for help in identifying the person.

Court documents don’t indicate what Mercy’s motive may have been beyond the argument she allegedly had with Flood. A detective with the Bellingham Police Department and her neighbors suggested that Mercy’s mental health had changed and she had become more aggressive during the pandemic, the affidavit states.