Mom says her son was trying to protect her when he stabbed the wrong man in Tacoma home

A stabbing Wednesday at an East Tacoma apartment happened too fast for anybody to stop it.

Robert “Bobby” Anderson had just awoken from a nap. His mother, Koeta Anderson, was yelling at a house guest to get out. Another guest, Scheldon Cato, came in from working outside to grab a drink of water.

In the commotion about 4:40 p.m. Wednesday, 28-year-old Anderson came out of his bedroom, grabbed a steak knife and stabbed Cato, 35, in the neck as he rummaged in the refrigerator, court documents show.

“It happened so quickly,” said Jana Cin, Anderson’s girlfriend. “I can’t believe it happened.”

On Thursday, Pierce County prosecutors charged Anderson with second-degree murder and he was ordered held without bail. He has not yet entered a plea; a mental health evaluation will be held first.

Anderson’s loved ones and court records indicate he suffers from schizophrenia.

“He thought he was saving my life,” Koeta Anderson said Thursday.

She and Cin believe Anderson heard his mother yelling at the unwanted house guest and mistook the target of her anger for Cato, who’d been staying in their apartment for a few days.

Before he was stabbed, Cato was working on his car and was not involved in any confrontation inside the home. His back was to Anderson when he was attacked.

After the stabbing, Cin took the younger Anderson out of the apartment to calm him down and they walked for three blocks.

A witness called 911. Cato made it to the parking lot after he was stabbed but was pronounced dead at the scene in the 1600 block of East 68th Street.

Anderson was arrested outside the apartment complex with a bloody steak knife in the back pocket of his jeans, records show.

The “defendant stated he heard his mother yelling at a man to get out, so he ran out and stabbed the man in the neck,” according to the charging papers.

Superior Court Commissioner Meagan Foley ordered Anderson not to have contact with any witnesses, including his mother and girlfriend.

Anderson has prior convictions.

In January, he pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree assault, attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle and DUI for a high-speed chase in Tacoma where he rammed a deputy’s patrol car and flipped his mom’s vehicle. He suffered a broken nose and cheekbone when he crashed.

Anderson allegedly told police he was drunk and high during the chase. He told detectives “his life was falling apart,” court records show.

A mental health report shows he suffered from methamphetamine-induced psychotic disorder and struggled with using meth, marijuana and alcohol.

Anderson had not been taking his medication for months before the stabbing, records show.

His mother and girlfriend said he could become agitated during a schizophrenic episode, but was never violent or aggressive.

“He doesn’t have a violent bone in his body. He’s the love of my life,” said Cin, who has known Anderson since he was 11. “I found Bobby again and there’s a new light. He makes me laugh and he makes me feel good about myself and he’s my best friend.”

Koeta Anderson said her son had a good sense of humor, was a skilled rapper and made his family a priority.

When mental illness took hold of her son about six years ago, she said, “his life just kind of fell apart.”

They were homeless for a while but finally moved into an apartment in April. She was hoping for a brighter future.

This story was originally published May 24, 2018 at 3:56 PM with the headline "Mom says her son was trying to protect her when he stabbed the wrong man in Tacoma home."