Woman accused of killing Everett traveling nurse back in WA for court appearance
Suspect in traveling nurse's death brought back to WA
The woman accused of shooting and killing traveling nurse Christopher Wilson in Everett has returned to Washington to face justice.
EVERETT, Wash. - The woman accused of shooting and killing traveling nurse Christopher Wilson in Everett has returned to Washington to face justice.
In early June, FOX 13 reported that Wilson was shot to death, with his former girlfriend, Shawntea Grimes Hamilton, considered the lone suspect in the case.
The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office says she was on the run for about a month before she was arrested hundreds of miles away in Toledo, Ohio.
Grimes Hamilton is expected to make a court appearance later on in the week. It took several weeks to get her extradited from Ohio to Washington and Wilson's family was starting to wonder when she would finally be arraigned.
Cornelius Wilson, Christopher’s father, told us in an interview this summer that he wanted to remember his son for his infectious personality.
"Christopher was a fun-loving young man, liked cooking, a joke. I’ve never seen him a down-and-out person," said Cornelius.
His son Chris was found inside his upstairs apartment off of Baker Ave in Everett on June 10. Bullet holes were found in the apartment walls and in a neighbor's car that was parked across the street. A neighbor reported hearing "pops" early in the morning.
The discovery prompted a months-long manhunt for Chris' former girlfriend, Shawntea Grimes Hamilton before she was eventually located and arrested in Ohio.
"There is a relief to which an individual is in custody," said Cornelius.
Chris was actively working as a traveling nurse at Providence Medical Center when he was killed. Charging documents show that June 9, just hours before the shooting, Chris' mom reported getting a tense voicemail from Grimes Hamilton, accusing Chris of," taking her car without permission". Police believe the two were at the Tulalip Casino at the time.
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Surveillance footage showed Chris alone in the car for a short time before the two eventually pulled up to his apartment together later that evening.
Investigators say the two talked, then went inside. She reportedly drove away alone.
Investigators alleged she came back at around 3:25 a.m.
Court documents state, "a blue-gray Chevy four-door, with no front license plate, arrived at the location from northbound Fulton St and parked in the rear parking lot near the back stairs."
Police believe that security video shows Chris coming outside to meet her before, "she followed Wilson towards the back stairs."
Court documents state that about 45 minutes later, neighbors reported hearing shots and someone running. Investigators say security video showed Grimes Hamilton run back to the car, to the driver's seat. They also say video shows her, "turning off her headlights just before exiting the apartment property."
Court documents went on to say that investigators noted that, "No other persons were seen fleeing from the residence before officers’ final arrival."
Chris' father told us that he believed that Chris was trying to end the relationship with Grimes Hamilton before the shooting.
"We have a young man who was a hard worker, taking steps to distance himself from a young lady who obviously was deeply disturbed," said Cornelius.
Court documents indicate that the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office determined that Chris was shot four to five times and that the nature of his injuries indicated that the muzzle of the gun was at least two feet away when he was shot.
Investigators said in court documents that they talked to the traveling nursing company that Grimes Hamilton previously worked for. The company reported that she did not show for an assignment in Spokane in May, and they had not heard from her since April.