Bothell woman claims memory loss in shooting of boyfriend

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 24, 2021

EVERETT — A judge set bail at $50,000 Tuesday for a Bothell woman accused of shooting her boyfriend in the chest, leaving him with life-threatening injuries.

A man called police around 10:40 p.m. Sunday to report his son had been shot inside a home on 134th Place SW. Sheriff’s deputies arrived to find the son, 19, with a gunshot wound to the chest, according to a police report filed in Everett District Court.

Sheriff’s deputies found the son in critical condition, going in and out of consciousness. He reportedly told deputies his girlfriend shot him. He was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

The girlfriend, 20, told a sheriff’s lieutenant she had been in the bedroom alone with her boyfriend when the gun went off. The couple had been in a relationship for about a year, court papers say.

At one point in a police interview, the girlfriend denied shooting him or seeing what had happened. She also claimed she believed her boyfriend had shot himself, but that “she could not be certain because of her failed memory,” according to a report filed in court by a Snohomish County sheriff’s detective. The suspect told a detective she believed her boyfriend shot himself. She reported he had been suicidal in recent weeks. The .45-caliber pistol belonged to the wounded young man.

The boyfriend’s father, however, reported he had been awakened by his son screaming and saying his girlfriend’s name, followed by, “You shot me.”

Deputies did not believe the shot was self-inflicted. A detective wrote that the woman “armed herself” with a gun during a fight.

She was booked into the Snohomish County Jail.

At a court hearing Tuesday, the woman’s mother said she had spoken with the wounded man.

“He said that it was not (the girlfriend’s) fault and he was so worried about her,” the mother told the judge.

“This is so unlike her. I think she’s been in an abusive relationship,” the woman’s mother continued.

Prosecutors asked for $1 million bail. The defense asked for the woman to be released on a promise to show up to court.

Everett District Court Judge Anthony Howard said he was concerned that the woman would commit a violent offense if released. He set bail at $50,000.

“To suggest that the court shouldn’t have any concerns, … with the evidence available to the court right now, is absurd,” Howard said.

The judge found probable cause to hold the defendant behind bars on a charge of domestic violence assault in the first degree.

Ellen Dennis: 425-339-3486; edennis@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @reporterellen