Marysville police arrest 2 in connection with March fatal stabbing

Published 2:03 pm Sunday, July 27, 2025

EVERETT — Two men remain in Snohomish County Jail on suspicion of murder in connection with a March fatal stabbing in Marysville.

On Friday, police located 39-year-old Andrew Elliott of Everett and booked him into jail on suspicion of first- and second-degree murder for his role in the robbery and murder.

On Monday, Elliott appeared for his probable cause hearing before Snohomish County District Court Commissioner Jennifer Millett. Millett found probable cause for first- and second-degree murder charges and set Elliott’s bail at $1 million.

Another Everett man, 28-year-old Keith Stuard, was booked into jail on suspicion of first- and second-degree murder on July 2. The next day, Snohomish County District Court set Stuard’s bail at $2 million.

At around 6:10 a.m. March 31, local security footage showed Stuard exiting Elliott’s car at the Northwest Baptist Church with a “knife shaped object” in hand, according to court documents. Stuard attacked Ghorghe Sandru, 66, telling Sandru to give him his wallet. Stuard hit Sandru in the chest and fled in Elliott’s car, according to the documents.

Around 6:17 a.m., Marysville police responded to the 1200 block of 2nd Street, near the church, after a neighbor found Sandru unconscious and not breathing, according to a press release.

When officers arrived, the neighbor was attempting CPR. Police determined the man had been stabbed in the chest, police said. Marysville firefighters performed life-saving measures, but Sandru was declared dead at the scene.

An autopsy found the knife wound was deep enough to puncture Sandru’s heart, multiple arteries and his left lung, according to court documents. Detectives later found a black, fixed blade knife with a 12-inch blade in Elliott’s car. The Washington State Patrol Crime Lab found Sandru’s DNA on the blade and Elliott’s fingerprints on the knife’s sheath, according to the documents. They also found Stuard’s DNA on Sandru’s hand and wrist.

Local security footage identified the vehicle Stuard fled in as a passenger, and an alert was quickly sent to surrounding agencies. Hours later, members of the Violent Offenders Task Force located the vehicle with its owner, Elliott, who was detained and questioned. With not enough probable cause to connect Elliott to the homicide, he was released. His vehicle was seized as evidence, Marysville police said in a social media post.

For several months, detectives collected evidence, interviewed people and gathered large amounts of security camera footage and images from Marysville, Tulalip and Everett. Numerous search warrants were authorized throughout the investigation to search involved vehicles, cell phones, call detail records, phone numbers and social media, and to examine the potential murder weapon. The Washington State Patrol Crime Lab analyzed physical evidence, DNA swabs and fingerprints, which led police to identify Elliott and Keith Stuard as suspects in the alleged premeditated armed robbery of Sandru, and his murder.

Detectives interviewed a woman who was with Stuard that night. She was asleep during the time of the stabbing, according to court documents. She said Elliott had the idea to rob Sandru because he had “thousands of dollars,” according to the documents. Elliott told them he “knew someone and how to make some money but that he needed help,” the documents read.

This is an active investigation, police said. Anyone with information can contact Lead Detective Nate Adams at (360) 363-8300 or by email at nadams@marysvillewa.gov.

This case remains as the only homicide to occur in Marysville in 2025, according to the social media post.

Michael Henneke: 425-339-3431; michael.henneke@heraldnet.com; X: @ihenpecked

Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.