King County prosecutors believe a 60-year-old man in Kirkland stabbed his roommate’s mother to death and injured her daughter last week in retaliation for the daughter reporting a sexual assault.
Prosecutors charged Fardin Salehiyan with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder on Tuesday. Salehiyan allegedly stabbed the mother, 78, and her daughter, 54, less than 12 hours after learning the daughter reported to authorities that her roommate, Salehiyan, sexually assaulted her.
Kirkland police officers found the women with multiple stab wounds in a Kirkland Heights apartment around 11 p.m. Sept. 4. They were taken to Harborview Medical Center, where the mother, Shamsi Rahimi Haghighi, later died.
Haghighi suffered 17 stab wounds, according to the King County medical examiner's office.
The daughter told responding officers Salehiyan was responsible for the attack. Salehiyan allegedly fled but was found in Snohomish less than an hour later with bloodied clothing.
Investigators found a previous domestic dispute case between Salehiyan and the daughter from July. The daughter gave a recorded statement Sept. 3, accusing Salehiyan of sexual abuse, police wrote.
The detective assigned to the case informed Salehiyan of the allegations around noon Sept. 4.
The woman told investigators that before stabbing her, Salehiyan told her, “You can't call the police. You ruined my life because you called the police.
A spokesperson for the sheriff's office was unavailable for comment Tuesday evening.
Haghighi, an Iranian immigrant, was staying with her daughter to receive medical treatment, police wrote.
Prosecutors requested Salehiyan be held in jail in lieu of $10 million bond due to fears he may flee.
"There is some evidence that these crimes were committed in an attempt to avoid prosecution on another offense," deputy prosecutor Lauren M. Burke wrote in the charging documents. "If the defendant is willing to commit murder in order to avoid facing justice, he would certainly be willing to flee.
Salehiyan's arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 12.
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