Man accused of killing Lake Stevens woman curses in court, argues with judge

EVERETT -- A felon accused of tying up and killing a Lake Stevens woman in a home there in June made his first court appearance Wednesday, but he didn’t do it quietly.

The prosecutor called Anthony Garver’s behavior bizarre.  Garver kept interrupting the judge and, at one point, started cursing.

Besides the murder charge, authorities say Garver also made terrorist threats about blowing up a government building and following the teachings of al-Qaeda.

Garver spoke out of turn during his probable-cause hearing on Wednesday but he didn’t get to say much before his lawyer shut off his microphone.

Garver’s attorney then asked for more time to respond to the prosecution’s request to deny Garver bail.

Garver is accused of killing 20-year-old Phillipa Evans-Lopez inside a home in Lake Stevens in mid-June.

Court documents detail her brutal death.

“She was tied, hands and feet, to the four corners of her bed with ligatures,” said deputy prosecutor Matt Hunter. “This person’s DNA, who we believe is Anthony Garver, was matched to DNA on those ligatures. “

After weeks on the run, authorities caught up with Garver on Tuesday at a McDonald’s in Snohomish County, where he was arrested without incident.

Cops say they found a folding knife in his pocket and prosecutors say it’s the same weapon used to kill Evans-Lopez.

“I think about the only way to keep the community safe would be to keep him in jail,” said Hunter.

The judge said there was probable cause to charge Garver with first-degree murder and the prosecution asked the judge to deny Garver bail.

Garver will be back in court on July 8 for that hearing.