Woman arrested after body found in White Center apartment

WHITE CENTER, Wash — A woman was arrested Friday night after deputies found a body in a small apartment building in White Center.

At 7:15 p.m., the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) received a 911 call reporting a possible homicide in the White Center area of ​​unincorporated King County.

When deputies arrived at the small apartment building, a dead woman was found in one of the rooms.

A woman was arrested at the scene and subsequently booked into the King County Jail at approximately 1:30 a.m.

On Saturday evening, the King County Prosecutor’s Office shared more information with KOMO in the form of ‘probable cause documents.’

The documents state that the suspect is a 19-year-old woman and the victim is a 73-year-old woman and the landlord of the apartment.

The documents state that the suspect was a tenant in the building rented by the victim and that the suspect had been living there for a year. The suspect was arrested by deputies after his brother-in-law was called to the address.

His brother-in-law told law enforcement that the suspect reached out to his sister and told her he had killed someone and showed her the victim’s body in a video phone call, according to documents.

The suspect initially told someone at the King County Communications Center that “this was all a joke and that he was driving up to Everett with a friend,” but later said, “I killed him,” referring to the homeowner. “He punched me and I stabbed him.”

During interrogation after his arrest, the suspect told deputies that he had “been late on rent lately.” That evening, the landlord called him to another room and asked when he could pay the rent.

The suspect then claimed that the victim “hit him in the face during this exchange,” and that the suspect “hit him hard in the back and stabbed him twice with a knife that was already in the room.”

The suspect in the documents describes a fight between the two and said the victim “pulled her hair and the drawstring of her hoodie during the struggle, and he responded by grabbing a nearby knife and stabbing her.”

The detective then asked what would have happened if he hadn’t stabbed the victim.

“Nothing,” the suspect said. The victim “would still be alive and I wouldn’t be here.”

The suspect’s brother-in-law told detectives that he had been threatening to kill his landlord since last month “if he ever asked for the rent payment again,” documents state.

The suspect’s sister and brother-in-law lived in the same house but moved out last month. However, it was stated that the landlord would call them and file a complaint after the suspect did not pay his rent. His sister and brother-in-law did not take the threats seriously, according to the documents.

The suspect faces second-degree murder charges and is currently being held in the King County Jail on $2 million bail.

According to authorities, no previous cases involving the suspect have been referred to the King County Prosecutor’s Office.