'Seattle News Weekly': Man attacked in stabbing shares harrowing story
‘Seattle News Weekly S1E14’: Stabbing attack survivor shares his story
A good Samaritan from Clallam County, Melvin Swaggerty, was making a DoorDash delivery on October 19, when he spotted a couple with their seven children on the side of the road. Swaggerty offered them a ride and the family accepted the offer. Everything was going fine until the father of the family allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed Swaggerty several times in the neck and head. On this episode of the 'Seattle News Weekly' podcast, FOX 13's David Rose is joined by Melvin and his brother Martin to talk about the harrowing experience. Melvin shares a powerful message of resiliency and strength, and chats with David about what comes next for the suspect behind the attack.
SEATTLE - On Oct. 19, a man saw a family — a mother, father, and seven young children — on the side of Highway 101 at night in the cold, as he was fulfilling an order for DoorDash.
Concerned for the children, he stopped and offered them a ride to Sequim after they claimed their vehicle was stolen.
As he was turning into a requested alternate drop-off location, the father suddenly stabbed the man multiple times in the head, neck and chest and pushed him out of his car where he was left for dead.
On Episode 14 of the "Seattle News Weekly" podcast, FOX 13 Seattle Anchor David Rose sits down with Melvin Swagerty, the survivor of the attack, and Melvin's brother, Martin Witherspoon, to talk about the harrowing experience in an emotional FOX 13 exclusive interview.
Melvin, who received 47 staples for his injuries, is a Special Olympics gold-medal champion bowler who had to forfeit his season due to the attack.
He and his brother discuss the emotional and physical toll the attack has had on them and how it has brought the two closer together.
Melvin also discusses how doctors were able to save him after flatlining on the operating table.
David walks us through the series of events leading up to the stabbing based on the court documents:
The backstory:
The morning the incident occurred, police contacted Nicholas Well and Rosario Lopez Castro, the couple who were on the side of the road. They were in the yard of Rosario's mother's home. David explains that Rosario was paranoid someone was in the house, so she contacted the police. No one was there.
At 2:16 p.m., the couple were in the Safeway parking lot. Deputies arrested Nicholas for reckless driving. Rosario and the kids were picked up by somebody else. And Nicholas was released that same day.
On the podcast, the brothers talk about how CPS and DHS may have been called for the kids, but action was not taken right away.
Fast-forward to 7:34 p.m. on Highway 101, a driver called 911 and said they needed to do a welfare check because the kids were all over the road.
When a deputy went out and contacted the family, they told the deputy they didn't need help.
At 8:10 p.m., Melvin came along. That's when the family told him someone stole their car.
David walks through Rosario's side of the story, with guidance from court documents obtained by FOX 13 Seattle. Rosario expressed paranoia regarding a group of people who were out to kill her because her husband knew the location of a "secret biker dope recipe," according to the court documents.
David goes on to explain in-depth examples of her paranoia leading up to the stabbing.
What's next:
When Kitsap County deputies found Melvin's car around 4 a.m., the next morning, approximately eight hours later, the couple was passed out in the front seat, each with a child in their lap; the other kids were in the backseat without shoes and wearing soiled diapers in the freezing cold.
As they go into more of the details in the court documents, David notes that Nicholas had no prior criminal history.
Why you should care:
On a brighter note, the GoFundMe that Melvin's daughter posted has raised over $80,000 and his brother says they were able to purchase him a brand-new 2025 SUV.
The seven children are now in foster care.
They conclude the podcast with gratitude for the community who supported Melvin in this recovery, including members of his Special Olympics bowling team, who Melvin says he bowls with on Thursday nights.
For more in-depth details about the incident and Melvin's recovery journey, listen to the podcast here.
Seattle News Weekly is a podcast that goes in depth and gives context to the stories that matter to the western Washington community. Check back every Thursday for a new episode on your favorite podcast platform, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Stitcher, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Audible, or YouTube.
The Source: Information in this story came from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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