Homeless man gets 30 years in Edmonds stabbing of pizza driver

EVERETT — A homeless man was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison Tuesday for nearly killing a pizza delivery driver during a January car prowl.

Christopher Cowan, 35, had nothing to say before Snohomish County Superior Court Judge George Bowden decided on his sentence.

A jury late last month convicted Cowan of attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault and robbery.

The victim, 40, was cut with a knife so deeply that his intestines were exposed. Cowan attacked the delivery driver after being surprised while going through the man’s car, which was parked outside a Domino’s Pizza restaurant in Edmonds.

Bowden gave Cowan the maximum under state sentencing guidelines.

“From what I know of the facts, that seems to be the minimum appropriate,” the judge said.

The victim didn’t know Cowan. The defendant nearly killed a man in an attempt to avoid capture for what initially was a misdemeanor car prowl, deputy prosecutor Craig Matheson said.

“The violence was gratuitous. It was unnecessary,” he said.

The injured man stumbled into the restaurant and held his internal organs inside while waiting for paramedics.

It was raining hard that night. The stabber left behind a hat and fled with paperwork from the victim’s car.

A police dog led Edmonds officers to a witness who said he saw a man running through his apartment complex minutes after the stabbing. The running man shucked his heavy coat. He also left behind paperwork that was taken from the delivery driver’s car.

The paperwork later yielded Cowan’s thumbprint, jurors were told. The witness also identified Cowan as the man he saw running through the apartment complex after the robbery.

Acting on a hunch, an officer checked a nearby convenience store. That led to a surveillance video of a coatless Cowan buying a roll of Mentos. He also left behind a pawn slip bearing his name.

When he was arrested a few days later, Cowan denied stabbing anyone and claimed to have been with friends at a nearby hotel.

Cowan’s public defender, Jennifer Bartlett, told jurors that police got the wrong man and ignored evidence that didn’t support their hypothesis.

Cowan had 14 prior felony convictions, mostly for property crimes in North Carolina. On Tuesday, the legal battle was over how to sentence him for the new offenses, including which of the attack convictions — attempted murder or assault — should be considered the most-serious offense.

The first-degree assault conviction carried more prison time than the attempted murder, and case law supported treating it as the most-serious charge, Matheson said.

Bowden agreed with Matheson’s analysis. That resulted in Cowan facing close to two years longer behind bars. His sentence also included two years for using a knife as a deadly weapon.

Judge Richard Okrent had presided over the trial, but he was unable to sentence Cowan because of illness. With Cowan’s consent, Bowden stepped in to take the case.

Scott North: 425-339-3431; north@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @snorthnews

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.