Accused double murderer ordered held without bail in Pierce County stabbings
A Herron Island man who was hospitalized from self-inflicted wounds following his arrest for a double homicide appeared in court for arraignment Monday.
James Edward Carnagey Jr., 63, was charged with three counts of first-degree aggravated murder in the Dec. 11, 2025 killings of his estranged wife, Wendy Teresa Walker-Carnagey, 64, and Chad Thomas Malloy, 39. They both died from stabbings.
Carnagey was arrested after detectives found him at a Kent hotel the next day. When they tried to contact him, they got no response. After breaking in, SWAT officers found Carnagey on the hotel bed with blood around him from suspected self-inflicted stab wounds. He was taken to a hospital where he underwent life-saving surgery, according to charging documents.
A plea of not guilty was entered on Carnagey’s behalf during his arraignment Monday afternoon. Pierce County Superior Court Commissioner Barbara McInvaille ordered him to held at the jail on a no-bail hold upon the request of prosecutors, according to court records. Prosecutors argued Carnagey showed a propensity for violence and was likely a danger to the community.
The defense reserved bail arguments for a hearing on Feb. 2, court records show.
Court documents show Pierce County detectives were dispatched to a house on East Herron Boulevard Northwest where Walker-Carnagey and Malloy were found dead in a bedroom. Walker-Carnagey shared the home with Carnagey and Malloy would occasionally visit her.
During their investigation, detectives learned of alleged texts to Carnagey’s daughter where he told her to look up Herron Island news for an article and told her to let him know of anything new, documents show. There was a history of domestic violence between the estranged couple.
Documents show Carnagey told detectives in an interview that he found their bodies on Dec. 5 and did not notify police because he thought he would be a suspect. He said he left the house after discovering their bodies and did not return. He also alleged Malloy was responsible for the deaths, saying that someone might have gone to the home to collect money the victim owed.
