Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >> (click to enlarge) Don Madsen (right) appears in court.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Saturday, September 27, 2008 Everett man tells police he proposed death pact According to court papers, he said he had a gun but no memory of the fatal shooting of his girlfriend By Jackson Holtz Herald Writer EVERETT -- The painted bullet would be set aside in a safe; insurance that the couple would be together forever. If one of them broke their vow, the other would be expected to load the painted bullet into a gun and shoot the other person in the eye. While Don Madsen, 62, was explaining his idea Wednesday night, a terrible accident happened, he told detectives. His girlfriend, Pamela Placek, 52, giggled at his suggestion for a death pact, Madsen told police, according to a document filed Friday in Everett District Court. She hadn't messed up the relationship, he said, but they had been arguing. As he was trying to persuade her, he grabbed a gun from the safe, he told police. Police believe Placek died immediately, shot in the eye at close range. Madsen told police he can't remember pulling the trigger but he realized his girlfriend had been shot, believed he was responsible and called 911. Madsen is jailed on suspicion of domestic violence second-degree murder, Snohomish County Sheriff's Chief Kevin Prentiss said. He's being held in lieu of $1 million bail. Madsen's 911 call was made before 11 p.m. Wednesday. He told dispatchers he "pulled the trigger on his girlfriend," and that he wanted to lie down next to her and die, according to the court document. Deputies rushed to the small cul de sac in the 11500 block of 23rd Place W. There are no records that sheriff's deputies were called to the house in the past, Prentiss said. During an interview with detectives, Madsen allegedly talked about his memory of the evening's events. According to the document, the couple had been in Granite Falls shopping for a home and stopped on the way back to Everett to have dinner with Madsen's daughter and other family. When the couple returned to the Everett rental home they shared, Madsen said they argued. He said Placek was stressed and wasn't feeling well. She brought up an incident from March, early on in the couple's relationship, when Madsen had looked at a girl in a restaurant, Madsen told detectives. Detectives said neighbors overheard and saw the couple's argument, which they continued outside. A neighbor's video surveillance camera captured some of the dispute, the document said. Madsen said they had a history of "passionate arguments," the document said. After shouting at each other Wednesday, Madsen said the couple hugged, the fight ended and "everything was better," the document said. He said that's when he brought up the death pact. He took a bullet out of his safe and told Placek they would be together forever. They would paint the bullet and save it. Then he grabbed a revolver from the safe and said, "And we'll use this," the document said. Madsen told police he couldn't remember any more, and didn't recall pulling the trigger. He told detectives he kept all the guns unloaded in the safe. When pressed about how the gun would have held a live round Wednesday, Madsen said he may have loaded it earlier for a camping trip, the document said. As detectives questioned him, Madsen called himself names for not following basic gun safety rules, which dictate to always assume firearms may be loaded. Herald writer Diana Hefley contributed to this report. Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

1. Girl's death in car crash stuns Granite Falls 2. 787 starts ‘final gantlet' of tests before first flight 3. Inmates to help families of police 4. Lewd baristas face stricter rules 5. Swine flu shots to be available to all in county 6. Woman who died in fire named 7. Roe picked as interim prosecutor 8. Gregoire's budget offers no easy way out of deficit 9. Payout of $44.7 million to clean up Asarco contamination in Everett 10. Roche Harbor's second derby a big hit 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Zambian woman thanks students for their help • Food banks see rise in use • ‘Making Spirits Bright’ in Edmonds • Wolfpack takes aim at state • Seahawks help students smile • 95 and still volunteering • Sno-King joined by local TV king • Veterans back for Wildcats • Lynnwood seeks to plug $2 million budget gap • Snohomish County offers the best and most affordable venues for conferen ... • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed