Victim in fatal stabbing at Seattle Center had restraining order against suspect

Victim in fatal stabbing at Seattle Center had restraining order against suspect The day after a man fatally stabbed a 28-year-old mother in...

Victim in fatal stabbing at Seattle Center had restraining order against suspect

The day after a man fatally stabbed a 28-year-old mother in the Seattle Center Armory food court, a King County Superior Court judge found probable cause to hold David Lee Morris on investigation of first-degree murder.

The day after a man fatally stabbed a 28-year-old mother in the Seattle Center Armory food court, a King County Superior Court judge found probable cause to hold David Lee Morris on investigation of first-degree murder.

According to police, Gabrielle Maria Garcia was at MOD Pizza with Morris and the couple’s 5-year-old son Friday afternoon when she was repeatedly stabbed in the throat.

Police arrested Morris, 29, near the scene.

According to the probable-cause affidavit outlining the police case, one witness at MOD Pizza yelled at the suspect while another ran for towels to give Garcia first aid. A third witness threw a chair just before the suspect walked away. A fourth, Scott Brown, followed the suspect, then attracted his attention, talking to him and holding him at gunpoint until police arrived.

When officers first contacted Morris, investigating Seattle police Det. Alan Cruise writes in the affidavit, “he was holding a knife in his hand and had visible blood on him.”

Once he was detained, the affidavit continues, “Morris was very talkative” and admitted (in an on-camera interview) to killing Garcia in an attempt to improve their son’s life: “Morris acknowledged this may traumatize [the couple’s son] if he remembers it, but he hopes he represses the memories.”

Garcia was taken to Harborview Medical Center. She died a few hours later, said Susan Gregg, a spokesperson for UW Medicine. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office has not released the woman’s name or other details, but the affidavit included her name.

According to Cruise’s affidavit, Morris said he and Garcia “have had relationship problems … Morris believes that there is no way he will ever get custody of [their son]” and “believed that Gabrielle dying was best [for the child].”

Court records also indicate a troubled relationship.

Garcia sought a temporary protection order against Morris on Oct. 9, which was granted by King County Superior Court, and reissued later that month. The court sealed details of the case.

Garcia also began court proceedings about a parenting and child-support plan on March 4, which the court finalized Oct. 17.

In the affidavit, Cruise writes that Morris said he’d met Garcia and their son at Pacific Science Center, where he “was trying to engage her in conversation about their relationship problems.” Later, at MOD Pizza, Morris tried to bring up the subject again when Garcia stood up, saying she was going to the bathroom. “Morris believed she was probably going to go to the bathroom and call her attorney,” Cruise’s affidavit states. “He decided it was time to kill her.”

Mike Carter, a manager at Skillet Counter in the food court, was there Friday with his friend and fellow employee Scott Brown when the two heard commotion nearby. Carter remembers Brown saying, “I have a carrier’s permit and I’m carrying. Should I go over there?” Before he had a chance to answer, Carter said, Brown ran to the scene.

“He was in no way looking to harm the man,” Carter said. “He was just trying to keep the focus on him until the police arrived.” In video of the incident, the suspect advances slowly on Brown, who backs up while keeping him at gunpoint.

“I think about Scott’s heroism,” Carter added. “Do you want someone who just potentially tried to kill his girlfriend and wife â€" do you want that man’s attention on you? The situation was handled so smoothly in the worst of circumstances, and handled properly. Police came, the man was detained, nobody else was hurt.”

More than anything, Carter said, he’s thinking about the families of those involved. “We all pray for the victim, and the child, and the family, and everyone else,” he said. “My heart weighs heavily for everyone who was hurt, both physically and emotionally.”

Morris has not yet been formally charged. His next court appearance is scheduled for Monday.

News researcher Miyoko Wolf contributed to this report.

Source: Google News | Netizen 24 United States