A woman charged with stabbing her mother to death in their South Hill home Saturday told detectives she decided to attack her mom after being “spiritually raped.”
Meshawn West, 39, was charged Monday with one count of first-degree murder. She pleaded not guilty during her arraignment. Bail was set at $2 million.
Pierce County sheriff’s detectives arrested West on Saturday after responding to a 911 call at the family’s house in the 13000 block of 158th Street Court East. They found her covered in blood near the body of her mother, 59-year-old Joyce West.
Meshawn West’s father, who was in the garage at the time, called 911 after hearing his wife call for help upstairs.
Charging papers give this account:
Joyce West brought their daughter to live with them four days before she was killed because the daughter has a history of mental illness and her parents wanted to assist her in getting help after a “mental health incident” last month.
When deputies arrived at the family’s home, they found Meshawn West covered in blood and slumped against a wall. Her mother’s body was on a bedroom floor, and her husband was trying to wake her up.
The mother was already dead after being stabbed about 10 times in the chest, back and above her left eye with a serrated steak knife. Meshawn West stabbed herself once during the struggle, deputies said.
She seemed calm after the attack and told deputies she was speaking in tongues after asserting she is a Christian, authorities said.
After she was treated for the stab wound, detectives interviewed her.
“She told detectives that her mother molested her through her witchcraft sometimes without even being in the same room,” according to court documents. She claimed her mother used witchcraft to touch her breasts, and she wanted it to stop.
Prosecutor Mark Lindquist said his office does not believe Joyce West was molesting her daughter.
“We don’t see anything there in terms of actual touching,” he said. “Clearly she (Meshawn West) is not a reliable narrator of events.”
Lindquist said he did not expect the molestation allegation to be investigated, but noted that’s it up to the Sheriff’s Department.
Stacia Glenn: 253-597-8653
Staff writer Alexis Krell contributed to this report.
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