Tacoma man stabbed employer 17 times in a parking lot last year. Here’s his sentence
A 41-year-old Tacoma man was sentenced to 80 months in prison Friday for stabbing another man 17 times last year, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Shaun Lee Blue was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Tacoma for assault resulting in serious bodily injury after leaving a man critically injured on March 19, 2023, according to prosecutors.
According to records filed in the case, Blue worked for the man as a day laborer and worked to remove an old trailer from a property in Eatonville. At the end of the workday the two met up in a parking lot so the man could pay Blue for the work he’d done. After an argument Blue pulled a knife and stabbed the man multiple times in his abdomen, causing serious cuts to his intestines, colon and liver.
Blue continued to stab the man even after he fell to the ground and drove away after the attack, records said. The man was able to call 911 for help, was found critically injured and continues to recover from significant injuries and multiple surgeries as a result of the attack.
The victim is asking for $25,363 in restitution. Chief Judge David G. Estudillo will determine the exact amount of restitution at a hearing next month, according to the press release.
The crime scene is on the property of Joint Base Lewis McChord, which is why federal prosecutors handled the case.
In court, Estudillo said, “It is difficult for the court to wrap around the idea that whatever the victim did could justify stabbing him 17 times.”
In asking for a sentence above the guidelines range Assistant United States Attorney Hillary Stuart wrote to the court, “Blue has not yet been deterred from violent crime despite numerous arrests and jail sentences. Blue’s prior interactions with the law should have put him on notice as to the serious consequences of his crimes, but it did not. He lacks any respect for the law or the legal system.”
The case was investigated by the FBI and Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) with assistance from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hillary K. Stuart, according to the release.
This story was originally published June 15, 2024 at 11:09 AM.
