Man charged in killing of estranged wife and her boyfriend in Herron Island home
A Herron Island man has been charged in the deaths of his estranged wife and her boyfriend.
Prosecutors charged James Edward Carnagey Jr., 63, with three counts of aggravated first-degree murder in the Dec. 11, 2025 stabbings of Wendy Teresa Walker-Carnagey, 64, and Chad Thomas Malloy, 39.
Carnagey is accused of killing the victims at the Herron Island home he shared with Walker-Carnagey. Carnagey and Walker-Carnagey were still married but had been estranged, according to charging documents.
A bench warrant has been issued for Carnagey’s arrest, court records show. Carnagey is being treated at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle after he was found in a Kent hotel with suspected self-inflicted knife wounds the day after the homicides were discovered.
The Medical Examiner’s Office said Walker-Carnagey’s cause of death was a stab wound of the neck. Malloy’s cause of death was listed as multiple sharp-force injuries of head and neck. Both deaths were listed as homicides.
Pierce County Sheriff’s Office deputies announced Dec. 11 they were investigating the deaths, but a spokesperson said deputies believe the victims had been dead over the past week.
Information about the alleged crimes through charging documents
Pierce County detectives were dispatched at 4:45 p.m. to the 700 block of East Herron Boulevard Northwest for an apparent homicide. Malloy’s mother reportedly called deputies after not having heard from her son or Walker-Carnagey. Malloy had also not showed up to his work, according to charging documents.
Documents show Walker-Carnagey lives on the bottom floor of the house, and Malloy would visit her. Detectives also learned that Carnagey was living in the upper floor .
Malloy and Walker-Carnagey’s bodies were found in a bedroom that they shared. When detectives searched the home, a KitchenAid knife was found wedged between a mattress and footboard. Detectives noted there was “biological substance” found on the knife, according to charging documents.
Documents show a paper towel with brownish stains also was found. Detectives wrote that whoever stabbed the victims wiped their hands and possibly the knife before leaving.
Deputies learned there was a history of domestic violence between the estranged couple. Documents show the last incident was from Dec. 3, 2025 when Walker-Carnagey called 911 to report a physical incident . She said she had an axe handle with no head, and yelled at someone to get away while on the phone.
Documents show there was an “ample assault history,” and Walker-Carnagey received three no-contact orders from 2018 and one in 2020 against Carnagey. In the past, Walker-Carnagey reportedly suffered a broken eye socket, broken nose and skull fracture, and Carnagey allegedly had threatened to kill her.
Carnagey is a registered sex offender, according to court records. When Malloy stayed at the house, he started sleeping with a baseball bat after Carnagey was released from prison, the victim’s family told detectives.
Detectives located Carnagey through his phone service, which showed he was in Kent. Carnagey’s truck was found outside a hotel on Pacific Highway South where he was staying.
Documents show Walker-Carnagey’s daughter had a phone call with Carnagey on Dec. 11 where he said that her mother kicked him out of the house. The daughter thought it was strange because in the past Carnagey refused to give up the property.
The daughter notified detectives she received text messages from Carnagey through her mother’s phone. One message reportedly said, “Go online and put in Herron Island news there is something on there from KOMO that just happened. Let me know anything new. Love you.”
Another message allegedly said, “I don’t know that it makes a difference but he [referring to Malloy] owed alot of money to someone. Don’t know who but I had overheard conversation.”
Documents show detectives tried to contact Carnagey at the Kent hotel, but got no response. A flash-bang was deployed to his door, but he did not respond . After the hotel room was broken into, officers found Carnagey on the bed with blood around him. He was unresponsive, and SWAT officers attempted life-saving measures until fire personnel arrived.
Carnagey reportedly underwent life-saving surgery and is expected to survive.
Detectives’ interview with Carnagey
Carnagey told detectives in an interview he found Walker-Carnagey and Malloy’s bodies on Dec. 5, 2025 after waking up to some unusual sounds from downstairs. He said he did not call 911 because he thought police would suspect him, according to charging documents.
He also said his truck was already packed because Walker-Carnagey had informed him she filed for a restraining order so he could not be at the house. He said he left after finding the bodies and did not return, documents show.
Carnagey said he believed Malloy was responsible for their deaths, documents show. He told detectives Walker-Carnagey told him more than once that Malloy had borrowed money from someone and that person might have gone to collect it.
Court records show Carnagey has prior felony convictions for custodial assault, third-degree assault and felony harassment from 2019. He also has a conviction from 2024 for failure to register as a sex offender. Documents show he has 10 gross misdemeanor convictions, including assault, violating a no-contact order and DUI.
