EVERETT — While lying in her hospital bed, the stabbing victim reportedly was urged to tell police it was all an accident and a misunderstanding, the result of a playful sword fight.
The pleas allegedly came via phone calls and texts from the suspect and in a hospital visit from the suspect’s mother.
A judge earlier this week found probable cause to hold the suspect on $500,000 bail.
Ryan J. Pritchett, 21, was arrested for investigation of first-degree domestic violence assault and tampering with a witness.
Pritchett is accused of beating and stabbing his girlfriend at a Mountlake Terrace condominium Oct. 6.
The victim, 21, flagged down a FedEx delivery driver and asked him to call 911. The driver stopped and she got in his truck.
The woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. She alleged that Pritchett hit her roughly a half dozen times until she “started seeing stars” before stabbing her, court papers said.
A nurse who treated her wound told police it was so deep she could see the bone in the woman’s forearm.
A Mountlake Terrace police officer interviewed the suspect’s mother, who allegedly told him that there was a large sword collection inside the home and that she believed the injury was the result of “playing around” with swords, court papers said.
Another officer wrote in the probable cause statement: “It is notable that I did not locate/observe any large collection of swords in the residence during my search.”
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.
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