Olympia man found guilty of double murder of his elderly parents
OLYMPIA, Wash. - A 30-year-old has been convicted for killing both his elderly parents in Thurston County in 2021.
On Jan. 31, Josiah Sweeney was found guilty of two counts of first-degree aggravated murder, first-degree burglary with a deadly weapon and assault in violation of a no-contact order.
On Oct. 31, a pastor noticed that Patricia and Michael Sweeney did not attend church service that Sunday, which was highly unusual for them. The pastor contacted Michael's other son, who in turn, contacted the Thurston County Sheriff's Office to request a welfare check.
When deputies arrived at the home in the 13200 block of Maytown Road SW, they found the door locked from the inside with no signs of forced entry. When the fire department arrived, they found Patricia and Michael dead from multiple stab wounds.
According to Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney Jon Tunheim, their son, Josiah, was found sleeping in another bedroom in the home, and a vehicle registered to his name was found in the parking lot.
Josiah's parents had an active order of protection against him.
Investigators found two large kitchen knives in the sink, and a forensic analysis later determined that the two victims' blood and Josiah's fingerprints were on them.
Josiah is expected to be sentenced in February.