EVERETT — He broke into a stranger’s home, exposed himself and left a woman and her children with memories they’d rather forget.
A judge on Wednesday sentenced Christopher Eddy, 26, to nearly eight years in prison for the frightening confrontation.
Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Michael Downes also ordered Eddy not to have contact with the victim.
She has asked to be notified when he’s released from prison.
Eddy, already a convicted sex offender, pleaded guilty in January to residential burglary with sexual motivation for the April 29 incident in north Everett.
He entered an Alford plea, which allowed him to plead guilty to the burglary charge but avoid admitting any wrongdoing. Instead, he acknowledged sufficient evidence existed to ensure his conviction.
Eddy has maintained that he doesn’t remember the night he broke into the woman’s home, according to court records. He said he and a friend had been drinking heavily. He only remembers waking up in jail, court papers said.
The woman’s memory of the incident is clearer.
She told investigators she was taking a shower when she saw a stranger standing in her bathroom. He was naked from the waist down and masturbating. He attempted to climb into the shower. The woman shoved him away. The man grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the bedroom.
The woman grabbed a phone and called 911. She convinced the suspect she needed to leave the room but he should wait for her.
The woman fled the bedroom and alerted her husband, who was reading a story to their two children upstairs. The man stayed with the children and the woman unlocked the door for police.
Everett police swarmed the house and arrested Eddy, who was completely naked by then.
The woman was at Wednesday’s sentencing. She declined to speak but in a letter to Downes she explained how the crime has affected her family. She now carries pepper-spray when she goes out alone. Her children aren’t comfortable in their house. She tries to reassure them they’re safe.
Eddy, who has a history of mental problems, didn’t speak at the hearing.
Downes added about a year more to Eddy’s prison term than what lawyers negotiated in the plea agreement. He said given Eddy’s criminal history, the severity of the crime and the impact on the victim, he wanted Eddy to spend more time behind bars.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463, hefley@heraldnet.com.
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