Police: Edmonds man said he planned stabbing death of father

Published 2:06 pm Friday, November 22, 2019

EDMONDS — The night before police found his father’s body, an Edmonds man reportedly said he used Google to look up three search terms: “definition of treason,” “justifiable homicide” and “excusable homicide.”

According to an Edmonds detective’s report, John H. Fry, 24, said he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, though he didn’t believe it was a legitimate illness. He reportedly said he didn’t take any medication. He regularly used marijuana and sometimes drank alcohol, he said, but had neither for at least five days.

“Based on previous contacts with the suspect, his family had reported that … he had a history of mental illness,” Edmonds police Sgt. Shane Hawley wrote in a news release.

Police responded to the Edmonds house in the 18700 block of 84th Avenue W around 2 a.m. Thursday, after the suspect called 911. There, officers found the body of the father, Stephen J. Fry, 64, who had suffered several stab wounds, according to a detective’s report. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner determined he died from cuts made to his neck. Knives were found on the floor nearby.

John Fry was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of first-degree murder. An Everett District Court judge on Friday found that police had established probable cause for Fry’s arrest and set bail at $1 million.

In an interview with detectives, John Fry said he had become increasingly angry with his father over the past year.

He allegedly said he decided to kill his father on Wednesday. Early the next morning, he said he heard his father’s voice coming from upstairs. John Fry said he recalled hearing something about a gun, but acknowledged that may have been his imagination.

The suspect said he went upstairs with a Nerf gun and a utility knife, according to court papers. He reportedly recalled confronting his father, punching him repeatedly and dragging him into a bedroom.

There, John Fry allegedly told detectives, he stabbed and slashed his father using multiple knives.

Afterward, he called 911 from a call box, and walked to a police station 2½ miles away.

“Although (the suspect) admitted that his father did not assault him or make any direct threats toward him, John was adamant that his actions were justified in order to defend himself from being … assaulted by his father,” a detective wrote.

Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.