Tacoma man used meth, beat pregnant wife until she was brain dead, records say
A Tacoma man beat his pregnant wife until she was brain dead after taking methamphetamine and becoming jealous, records say.
Pierce County prosecutors on Wednesday charged Ian Sweeney, 31, with first-degree assault and attempted second-degree murder with a domestic violence enhancement for Sunday’s attack on his wife of 10 years. He is expected to arraigned this afternoon.
The 27-year-old victim remains in critical condition at Tacoma General Hospital.
Doctors say she suffered head trauma and a possible skull fracture, and is brain dead. They do not know whether her baby, estimated to be about 8 weeks old, can survive if the mother remains on life support.
Charging papers give this account of the incident:
Police were called about 7:30 p.m. Sunday to the couple’s home in the 5600 block of South Park Avenue.
The victim was unconscious and barely had a pulse.
Sweeney said several times, “It’s my fault,” prosecutors wrote in charging documents.
He allegedly told officers he did meth twice that day and after a few hours began questioning his wife’s “devotion and commitment.”
That led to an argument, Sweeney pushed her into a wall, and she banged her head.
The couple’s four children, ranging in age from 1 to 8, were home but not in the room. One of their sons at one point allegedly witnessed his father hitting his mother.
After shoving her into the wall, Sweeney repeatedly slapped his wife until she got a bloody nose and punched her in the chest, arms, thighs and knees.
When police asked him how many times he hit her, Sweeney said, “A lot, a lot,” records say.
His wife became dizzy and tired during the beating, so Sweeney said he searched the internet to learn about the side effects of head trauma.
He also told his children he was in trouble and would be “going to adult time out,” records say.
The victim allegedly felt better for a few hours but again deteriorated until she passed out and stopped breathing.
Sweeney called 911 and paramedics responded to start CPR, then called police because it appeared to be a domestic violence incident.
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 11:45 AM.
