MARYSVILLE — An Everett District Court judge on Monday set bail at $1 million for a Marysville man with a history of mental illness, who is accused of killing his mother and placing her body in the trunk of a car.
Nathan Granum, 28, has been arrested for investigation of first-degree murder. He’s being held at the Snohomish County Jail.
Granum lived at the home on 48th Avenue NE with his mother and brother. He reportedly has paranoid schizophrenia, and told detectives that for years he had been hearing voices telling him “mean things” and that someone should kill his mother.
Granum told officers he did not kill his mother, but he “could not stop what happened to her,” court documents say.
Detectives later learned Granum and his mother had been arguing for some time, but the situation had become more tense in the days leading up to her death.
Around 2 p.m. Thursday, the mother told Granum’s brother she was leaving the house to pick up paperwork to evict Granum, according to court papers.
“Nathan admitted he had gotten mad at his mother over her selling his deceased father’s items and selling the home,” the court records said. “Nathan mentioned he was scared of being homeless, but stated he never harmed his mother.”
A couple of hours later, the brother took out the trash and found Granum in the garage. Granum told his brother he was working out, and to go back inside the house.
Around 9 p.m., the brother realized he still hadn’t seen his mother. He went to the garage again and saw Granum, who was reportedly sweating and acting nervous.
When the brother asked Granum where their mother was, he allegedly told his brother again to go inside.
The brother began to get suspicious, court records said. He walked out the front door and noticed his mother’s car, a Kia Optima, was parked in the driveway.
He thought that was unusual. Normally she parked in the yard.
He got closer to the car and found blood stains near the back of the vehicle.
He opened the trunk. His mother was inside with dried blood on her body. He called for her, but she didn’t respond.
He dialed 911.
Dispatch relayed to officers there had been a log of previous mental health-related calls to that address.
Once investigators arrived, they noticed blood on Granum’s face, hands and clothes.
“Units who cleared the residence reported seeing blood in the downstairs bathroom and in the southeast corner of the garage,” Det. Wade Rediger wrote.
They also found bloody shoe prints and drag marks, as well as a handle that appeared to be from an axe or hatchet under the woman’s body. Her eyes were swollen and black, and she had a “significant open wound” over her right eyebrow, according to the police report.
The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office will release her identification, as well as cause and manner of death.
Soon after, Granum was detained and taken to the Marysville Police Department. He agreed to a recorded interview. He told police he does not have emotions and that he never gets upset with his mother, court documents say.
Police noted he didn’t seem to have any visible reaction when told his mother was dead, but at times he did seem nervous. When they asked how someone else killed his mother, Granum allegedly replied: “They beat her to death and stomped on her.”
He believed his mother was evil and she had been planning to kill him, he told officers. He also mentioned multiple times that someone uses a gun to “zap” his brain, and it causes strange things to happen to him, according to the police report.
In court Monday, he wore a bright orange jumpsuit and a medical mask covered the bottom half of his face. Granum did not appear to have any response when Judge Anthony Howard set his bail.
The prosecuting attorney noted Granum had been accused of misdemeanor domestic violence in 2017, but that the charges were dropped. He has no criminal history.
Stephanie Davey: 425-339-3192; sdavey@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @stephrdavey.
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