Pierce County man tried to kill wife, saying, ‘today was the day,’ charges say
A DuPont man was arrested for allegedly trying to kill his wife with a knife while their child was inside their house Sunday.
Prosecutors charged the 51-year-old man with attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault and three counts of felony harassment.
A plea of not guilty was entered on the man’s behalf during his arraignment at the Pierce County Superior Court Tuesday. Court Commissioner Barbara McInvaille ordered a $750,000 bail, according to court records.
Court documents show prosecutors requested a no-bail hold because they were concerned for the safety of several people mentioned in charging documents, including the victim, the victim’s child and neighbors. Prosecutors believe the man is a flight risk as he allegedly might have tried to flee the country.
Details of the incident from charging documents
Officers in DuPont were dispatched at 8:57 p.m. to the Griggs Street area for a reported stabbing. The intersection was filled with people screaming, crying and running around when officers arrived, according to the probable cause affidavit.
The victim was on a neighbor’s porch with a deep laceration on her back, documents show. The victim told police her husband stabbed her, and he was inside a house across the street. The officer wrote in the police report he recalled responding to the house for an incident several months ago involving the man, who was arrested.
Documents show the victim’s and the man’s child was found crying and trying to explain what happened. Officers spoke to the son of the victim’s family friend, who was at the home when the attack occurred. The witness reported the victim had been trying to leave the marriage and was staying with his mother.
He explained the victim needed to go to the house for some items, and the witness asked to go to keep her safe. The victim, witness and child went to the house and packed a bag. The man found them and confronted them. He produced a kitchen knife hidden behind his back and raised it towards the witness, according to court records. The witness said he pushed the man aside and yelled at the child to run.
Documents show the man allegedly grabbed the woman and made repeated stabbing motions. The witness told police he ran away with the child and called 911.
The victim spoke to police, documents show. She said she left her husband a few days earlier, citing abuse. She mentioned that for the last three days he had been threatening to kill and bury her, charging documents state. She said when the man confronted them, he allegedly said that “today was the day.”
The victim said she begged the man to not kill her and said he was trying to stab her near her throat. The woman said she grabbed the blade, and they struggled until she fell down the stairs, court records show. She eventually got the knife and threw it. The woman said the man tried to strangle her, but she got out of the house.
DuPont Fire Department personnel took the victim to a Tacoma hospital. She suffered lacerations to both hands and had a possible stab wound on her back that was bandaged when officers spoke to her, according to court documents.
Documents show the man was not at the house after the incident. The victim’s sister told police she believed the man was trying to get a plane ticket back to Kenya. Officers also learned from witnesses that the man ran down an alleyway toward a swamp.
The man approached officers a few hours later, and he complied with their demands before he was taken into custody. Officers noted the man had blood on the front of his T-shirt and sleeves.
Documents show officers searched the house. There were several open beers cans in the house. The knife allegedly used in the attack was found and booked into evidence.
The man does not have any previous criminal convictions, according to court documents.
