Covington, WA homicide appeared to be staged home invasion: Court docs
Covington, WA homicide suspect in custody
Kyle Cathcart, the man sought in a Covington homicide investigation, is in custody, according to jail records.
SEATTLE - The man suspected of a homicide in Covington, Washington that left his wife dead is accused of elaborately staging the murder as a home invasion, according to new court documents obtained by FOX 13 Seattle.
The suspect skipped his first appearance in King County Superior Court on Wednesday, but FOX 13 Seattle obtained new documents detailing the murder, which prosecutors allege was staged to appear like a home invasion.
He confessed to investigators that he planned and carried out the stabbing death of his wife, Jodi, inside their Covington home Friday morning.
Covington, WA homicide staged as home invasion
What we know:
Deputies went to a home on 186th Place Southeast Friday morning after a man called 911 to report that he and his wife had been stabbed during a home invasion. When authorities arrived, they found the man's wife dead in a back bedroom.
(FOX 13 Seattle)
The caller had minor injuries to his hand, eyes, and stomach and claimed he was knocked unconscious by an intruder. He was treated at a hospital before being questioned by detectives.
Investigators initially found no signs of forced entry at the home.
The husband claimed an unknown man in a dark hoodie attacked them, and investigators retrieved Ring doorbell footage showed a figure leaving the home at 6:49 a.m. wearing a sweatshirt inside out with a white tag showing, whom detectives noted had the same build and height as the husband, court documents say.
Detectives later found the sweatshirt in a neighbor’s trash; it was a black sweater reading "Karate Mom" which belonged to the wife, and tested positive for blood.
What we don't know:
The official motive for the killing has not been released, though the suspect told investigators the couple was expecting a $61 million payout from two pending lawsuits.
Court documents say the husband told detectives he did not use sleep medication because of a previous incident where he allegedly tried to smother his wife with a "saran-wrapped pillow" while using a sleep aid. The wife’s mother and a friend confirmed to investigators that this incident happened around November 2024.
In a follow-up interview, the husband admitted to the planning and the killing, and admitted that he "purposefully removed items from his wife's wallet and fled out the front door to stage a burglary."
Police investigate a homicide in Covington on May 1, 2026.
What's next:
The suspect did not appear in court, so the judge did not set his bail. The judge did find probable cause for first-degree murder, so he remains in custody.
Bail arguments will be carried out at his next scheduled appearance on Thursday. He's expected to be formally charged soon.
Editor’s Note: FOX 13 does not name suspects until formal charges have been filed.
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Covington, WA homicide suspect Kyle Cathcart in custody. Here’s what we know
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The Source: Information in this story comes from court documents filed in King County Superior Court, as well as previous coverage from FOX 13 Seattle.