Kevin Harper pleaded not guilty to numerous charges in King County Superior Court in Seattle on April 4.
He’s accused of repeatedly stabbing a Kirkland woman on March 17. Police found her after she managed to pull herself from her residence with multiple stab wounds, reports show.
Harper — who is also identified in court records as Kevin Evans — faces first-degree charges of attempted murder, burglary, robbery and kidnapping. The defendant could face life in prison, as both attempted murder and kidnapping in the first degree are class A felonies.
The suspect is being held in custody and bail is being reserved, court documents state. Prosecutors noted, in charging documents, that the defendant has a criminal history that dates back to 1998. Harper has been convicted of multiple felony crimes and was charged with three counts of aggravated murder in the first degree of a Yakima family of three. However, he was not convicted for murder.
At 10:07 p.m. on March 17, an emergency call came in to Kirkland dispatch from a motorist who had located a female in the street in the 11300 block of 100th Avenue, according to police reports. The victim was lying on her side, waving her hand for assistance.
Medics, the report continues, noted that the victim was treated for six stab wounds to the neck and face. Officers uncovered blood smears at the entry level of the victim’s residence and a collection of blood in the master closet.
The victim told investigators that the suspect was a plumber who had worked for her on a project at her residence on at least four occasions between October 2018 and January 2019. This was later confirmed by the employer by police.
Harper allegedly entered the victim’s home and confronted her in her master bathroom at around 7:30 p.m. The victim said Harper was armed with a red handled knife and threatened to kill her if she did not comply to his demands. He is accused of stealing her jewelry, wallet, cash and multiple credit cards.
Harper then allegedly led the victim to a vehicle, she told officers. He had planned to take her to an ATM machine to have her withdraw cash. But as they traveled to the car, they stopped at her car parked in the driveway. Inside he found keys to what he believed belonged to a safe.
That’s when the suspect allegedly led the victim back inside and demanded she take him to her safe. When she responded that she had no such safe, he led her to the closet, tried to bind her hands and is accused of using his knife to cut and stab her. He also poured unknown liquids on the victim. The victim told police she believed the suspect was trying to light her on fire.
The victim said she lost consciousness, and when she awoke, the suspect was gone.
Following Harper’s arrest, a search warrant was granted for Harper’s work vehicle. Inside the van investigators found picture identification and debit and credit cards that belong to the victim.
Harper’s case scheduling hearing is set for April 25, at 1 p.m, in King County Superior Court.
This story originally appeared in the Kirkland Reporter, a sibling paper of The Daily Herald.
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