Suspect says he heard voices before hitting mother with bat

Published 1:30 am Thursday, September 22, 2016

EVERETT — The Mukilteo man explained that he was hearing voices.

They were urging him to take his own life. The voices, he said, were coming from his mother.

Eric Bond allegedly admitted that he grabbed a Louisville Slugger aluminum bat from his bedroom and walked into the living room where his mother was sitting.

Bond, 35, repeatedly bashed the woman in the head, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Francesca Yahyavi wrote in court documents.

“When asked if he was trying to kill (his mother), the defendant responded that he was actually trying to help her while he was still hitting her, but he wanted the voices to stop first,” Yahyavi wrote.

The man’s father later told police that Bond was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder nine years ago. His son had stopped taking his medication but took a dose the day before the Aug. 27 attack, court papers said.

Prosecutors have charged Bond with first-degree domestic-violence assault. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge. His trial is scheduled for next month. Bond is prohibited from having contact with his mother.

Police responding to the 911 call at the Mukilteo house found Bond’s mother locked inside her vehicle parked in the driveway. Her hands were bloody and officers saw an open head wound. She told police her wrist, hanging at a strange angle, was broken.

Officers photographed her injuries. The woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Police were told that she suffered a broken arm, broken wrist and a serious brain injury.

Police found Bond in the driveway speaking with his father. “He appeared calm and was compliant,” court papers said.

Officers collected a bloody bat propped up against the end of Bond’s bed. They also photographed a blood trail that led out to the woman’s vehicle.

Her husband told police that his wife doesn’t want to have contact with Bond, Yahyavi wrote.

The defendant was being held in the Snohomish County Jail on $50,000 bail. Prosecutors also requested that if Bond is released pending trial, he be under the care of a psychiatrist who is aware of the criminal case.

Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.