A 19-year-old woman from Washington state has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder after inconsistencies in her account of her 73-year-old landlord’s death led to a confession of self-defense......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
The case began when the suspect’s brother-in-law contacted the King County Sheriff’s Office at around 7:15 p.m. on Friday, October 25, reporting that his sister-in-law had called her sister, his wife, saying she had killed someone and even showed the body during a video call.
Authorities have not released the identities of those involved.
Initially, when police reached out, the suspect denied there was a deceased body, telling dispatchers it was “all a joke” and claiming she was in Everett with a friend.
However, after further questioning, she confessed, reportedly stating, “I killed her.”
She described the incident, claiming her landlord had “tried to punch me, and I stabbed her.”
Probable cause documents released by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office revealed that the suspect had lived in the property for about a year.
Upon arriving, deputies discovered the elderly woman deceased.
After being read her rights, the suspect again admitted to the killing, explaining that overdue rent led to the confrontation.
According to her statement, the landlord had asked her about rent and allegedly struck her, leading to a struggle where the victim “pulled her hair and the drawstring on her hoodie.”
In response, the suspect claimed she “hit the victim hard” and stabbed her “twice with a knife that was already in the room.”
When detectives asked what would have happened if she hadn’t stabbed the victim, she reportedly replied, “Nothing. She would still be alive and I wouldn’t be here.”
The brother-in-law shared with police that the suspect had been making threats over the last month, stating she would “kill her landlord if she asked again about paying rent.”
He and the suspect’s sister, who had moved out a month earlier, initially did not take the threats seriously but continued to receive calls from the landlord about the overdue rent.
The suspect is now held in King County Jail on a $2 million bond.