Point Defiance stabbing suspect makes first court appearance
The suspect in a February stabbing attack in Point Defiance Park that left a woman severely injured made his first appearance Wednesday in a California court after his capture Friday at San Francisco’s airport.
Nicholas Matthew, 27, was arrested as a fugitive from justice in the terminal as he was attempting to flee the country. He is awaiting extradition to Pierce County, where he will face a first-degree attempted murder charge.
In San Mateo Superior Court Wednesday, Matthew waived his right to a hearing for probable cause for the arrest. Commissioner Hugo Borja ordered him held without bond.
Matthew was arrested at San Francisco International Airport while on a layover from Atlanta. The airport is located in San Mateo County, just south of San Francisco.
The victim, who is recovering from her injuries, said she was stabbed several times by an unknown man while walking down a park trail. Passers-by heard her screams and intervened. The suspect ran off.
The woman said in a news conference on Feb. 21 that she was “one wrong move from being killed.”
Army service
Matthew is an Army veteran, the Army’s public affairs office at the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday to The News Tribune.
He served as a computer/detection systems repairer in the Army from August 2015 to June 2018, according to Bryce Dubee, spokesperson for the Office of the Chief of Public Affairs.
Matthew had no deployments and held the rank of specialist at the end of his service, Dubee said.
The Army did not immediately provide the locations of his stations.
Evidence
Matthew was linked to the brutal Feb. 10 stabbing after detectives collected DNA from the victim’s clothing. A blood stain was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and matched with Matthew.
CODIS includes local, state and national and military databases of DNA profiles from offenders.
Matthew had no criminal history in Washington State, according to Tacoma Police.
Extradition
The Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office told The News Tribune on Monday that the extradition is in its early stages.
In California on Wednesday, Borja ordered Matthew to return to court on Friday for his arraignment on the fugitive charge.
