ARLINGTON — In the hours before she was stabbed to death, Madison King wrote a series of text messages to a co-worker describing an unhappy home life and growing fear of her husband.
“I’m numb,” the Arlington-area woman, 23, texted her colleague, according to court papers. “He tried to tell me today if I ended things he’d kill himself.”
“I’m just tired of crying dude,” she wrote in another text. Prosecutors believe it was one of her last.
Homero Osuna-Gonzalez did not kill himself. Instead, he is accused of stabbing his wife dozens of times at their home west of Smokey Point, killing her.
Osuna-Gonzalez, 25, was charged on Friday in Snohomish County Superior Court with first-degree murder.
He told detectives he was arguing with King on June 10 at their home in the 400 block of 200th Street NW, when she went into their bedroom to get space from him.
While she was there, Osuna-Gonzalez called a co-worker to talk through why he was upset. The co-worker reportedly urged restraint, telling him to “let things cool down and to give it some time.”
Osuna-Gonzalez went into the kitchen and picked up a knife to prepare vegetables for his lunch, and King reportedly came out of the bedroom.
They began arguing again.
Osuna-Gonzalez told detectives this is when he “lost control,” according to earlier court documents. He reported that he pointed the knife at King and followed her down the hallway.
According to his account, she called him “disgusting.”
He then allegedly attacked her.
An autopsy by the medical examiner found King suffered nearly 50 stab wounds. Previous court documents stated she was stabbed at least 15 times.
After the killing, Osuna-Gonzalez tried to figure out what to do next, deputy prosecutor Matt Baldock wrote.
Osuna-Gonzalez thought about calling 911 but was scared. He considered ways to kill himself but said he couldn’t find a good place to do it. He shaved his head to alter his appearance, but he didn’t like the way it looked, so he went to a barber the next morning. He allegedly tried to clean the scene of the killing by washing his blood-stained clothes and showering while wearing disposable gloves. He also researched if the Canadian border was open, Baldock wrote.
The morning of June 11, Osuna-Gonzalez packed a bag with his passport and food and took off in his wife’s car. Osuna-Gonzalez also had King’s phone and allegedly responded to text messages she had received by pretending to be her.
Osuna-Gonzalez then drove to Kirkland, where he worked. He thought of throwing himself off a bridge. But when he got to his worksite, he decided instead to approach his co-workers.
He told them what happened, according to charging papers. They called the police around 10:30 a.m. Kirkland officers soon arrived and arrested Osuna-Gonzalez.
“How many years will I be in jail for?” Osuna-Gonzalez reportedly asked the officers.
King and Osuna-Gonzalez met at Everett Community College, where they both played soccer. They married in a civil ceremony last November, and were planning a wedding celebration for next month, according to court documents.
In a statement made shortly after the killing, King’s family noted she needed one more class to complete a second degree in Spanish from Western Washington University. She hoped to serve Spanish-speaking families in the medical system, her family wrote.
Jake Goldstein-Street: 425-339-3439; jake.goldstein-street@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @GoldsteinStreet.
Help is available
Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County provides free and confidential services, including an emergency shelter, legal advocacy, support groups and domestic violence education. For help, call the 24-hour support line: 425-25-ABUSE (425-252-2873).
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