A Federal Way man was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend during a dispute Friday.
Kenneth Mace, 29, remained in jail in lieu of $2 million bail and will be arraigned July 24, said King County prosecutors’ spokesman Dan Donohoe.
Detectives noted in charging papers that Mace suffered little more than scratches during the scuffle, but the victim, 20-year-old Mindy O’Meara, had been stabbed more than 100 times.
Several knives, a barbecue spatula with serrated edges and a broken knife handle were found next to her body on the kitchen floor of the couple’s double-wide mobile home.
During interviews at the police station, Mace told officers conflicting stories. He first said O’Meara was speaking in “demon talk” and attacked him, so he grabbed the knife and blacked out.
Then he said O’Meara was harassing him when he got home from work. When he came out of the bathroom, he saw her sitting on the couch holding a knife and feared she would stab him. He then threw a glass bong at her head and wrestled the knife away, but couldn’t remember what happened after that.
Mace was arrested after calling 911 from a neighbor’s home and telling dispatchers, “I stabbed her.”
Prosecutors said Mace’s mother told detectives her son’s recent behavior led her to believe he was “nuts,” and she and her husband tried to persuade him to get counseling.
stacia.glenn@ thenewstribune.com
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