Man wakes sleeping woman to kill her with hatchet and bolt cutters, Washington cops say
A 41-year-old man is accused of striking a woman in the head with a hatchet, bolt cutters and bongo drums until she died in Washington, authorities said.
Tyrone Bernard Wells Jr. was charged with first-degree murder in the March 27 killing of the woman in Shoreline, according to charging documents.
Wells told police he planned to kill the 32-year-old woman before inviting her to his apartment, detectives from the King County Sheriff’s Office said in a probable cause statement.
He has known the woman since 2017 and detectives said he once planned to marry her.
When the woman fell asleep, he woke her up because he wanted her to know what he was going to do to her, detectives said.
He is accused of striking the woman in the head with a hatchet multiple times, then bongo drums and bolt cutters until she died.
Wells reported the killing and said “the murder was on my account ... I murdered her,” detectives said in court documents.
Detectives said the man had been awake for four days on meth before the killing.
Prosecutors recommended the judge set the man’s bail at $5 million, saying he posed an “extreme danger” to the community.
His next court hearing is on April 13.
