The King County Sheriff’s Office says that on Tuesday, March 26, 2019, a female suspect was booked into the King County Jail for investigation of Murder 1st Degree of her husband in Auburn.
Police allege that on April 2, 2016 around 9:45 p.m. in the 4000 block of S. 340 Street in unincorporated Auburn (map below), a 46-year-old female shot her 47-year-old husband one time in the head at close range while he was sleeping in their bed, killing him.
Two children that the suspect and victim have in common were waiting in a vehicle, which was running in the driveway with the radio on. Both children later told Police that their Mom was in the house alone with their Dad for 5-10 minutes before their Mom came out and they all left to pick up their older sister (the victim’s daughter from a previous relationship) from work.
Around 10:50 p.m., the suspect and her children returned to the house. The female suspect entered the house and found the victim deceased in their bed. The female suspect called 911 and claimed their house had been burglarized. However, TV’s, electronics, cash and other items of value had not been touched. The victim appeared to have been sleeping when he was shot, as there were no signs of struggle.
Detectives learned that the female suspect had been having an affair at the time her husband was murdered. Detectives found dozens of emails between the suspect and her new boyfriend in the weeks leading up to the murder, discussing the suspect’s hatred of her husband and her plan to leave him the weekend that he was murdered.
A spent casing found next to the victim was forensically matched to multiple unfired bullets found in the house, suggesting that the firearm used to kill the victim came from within the house, not brought in by an unknown suspect.
On Tuesday, March 26, 2019, the suspect was booked into the King County Jail for investigation of Murder 1st Degree.
“This is just another example of the outstanding work our Detectives continue to do day in and day out for victims and their families in their quest for justice,” Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht said.
“This is the second cold case that Detectives have been able to solve and the second arrest in the past six weeks,” Johanknecht added.
