WA woman strikes boyfriend with axe, burns him believing he was 'demon': docs

Woman to be charged in Issaquah murder, arson

The woman accused of killing a man in Issaquah says someone in her head told her to kill her boyfriend.

ISSAQUAH, Wash. - A woman struck her boyfriend in the head with an axe several times and tried to burn his body after a voice told her he was a "demon," according to court documents.

The 49-year-old suspect faces charges of first-degree murder – domestic violence and first-degree arson – domestic violence for an incident that happened on Sep. 16 in Issaquah.

The backstory:

Firefighters say a maintenance worker at the Rose Crest apartments on Shangri-La Way Northwest told them a body was burning in the back bedroom of a unit, prompting him to turn on the sprinkler system and alarm.

Firefighters confirmed a body was inside the apartment and notified police. The suspect was allegedly seen on playground equipment, pointed out by the maintenance worker after firefighters exited the scene.

Upon contacting her, a firefighter claimed the suspect excitedly uttered that she was "told to shoot" the victim in the head and to "burn his body." She made another similar comment after being transported to the Issaqual Police Department, court documents state.

Following her arrest, police said the suspect claimed to have heard a voice while meditating, which she believed to be God, telling her that her boyfriend was a demon and going to kill her.

The woman claimed she feared for her life, so she entered her boyfriend's room during the night and repeatedly struck him in the head with an axe.

The 49-year-old said she then retrieved a bottle of rubbing alcohol, poured it over the body and used a lighter from her keychain to light him on fire. She allegedly stated she saw on TV how fire was the only way to kill a demon.

Police say she later realized she had done the wrong thing and hid the axe in her room between the mattresses, which officers later recovered.

The suspect stated the victim was her live-in boyfriend who she had been dating for 3-4 years, according to probable cause documents.

Police said an inspection of the victim's body was consistent with the suspect's account of the crime, with wounds to the head and evidence of being burned.

What's next:

The suspect remains in King County Jail, and is expected to be formally charged on Thursday, Sep. 18.

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