BREMERTON — A 23-year-old airman stationed aboard the USS Nimitz is believed to have fatally stabbed his wife and then hanged himself in their Marion Avenue home, Bremerton police reported today.
Lt. Cmdr. Theresa Donnelly, the ship’s public affairs officer, said the sailor’s identity has not been released pending notification of next of kin. She said he was an E-2 assigned to the ship’s air department, and that he participated in shipboard reintegration counseling and training that took place before the Nimitz returned to its homeport.
Donnelly said Capt. Kevin Lenox, the Nimitz’s commanding officer, addressed the crew today regarding the deaths and there was a prayer and a moment of silence. Counseling would be made available to the crew.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and to the crew,” Donnelly said. “It has not been good day for us. We’re going through a lot of healing.
Bremerton police were dispatched to 131 N. Marion Ave. around 6:56 p.m. Dec. 13 in response to a report of two people deceased inside the home. Officers arrived and immediately confirmed an adult male and adult female were deceased inside.
“Evidence of a violent assault existed, so detectives and crime scene personnel responded to further investigate,” Lt. Randy Plumb reported. “Two witnesses who found the decedents were interviewed by detectives. Detectives then executed a search warrant at 131 N. Marion Ave.
Investigators believe the decedents were married. “During the crime scene processing, detectives found the 22-year-old female victim had been stabbed multiple times. Investigators believe after fatally assaulting his wife, the male then hanged himself,” Plumb reported.
The investigation continues. Plumb said anyone with information should contact detectives with the Bremerton Police Department, 360-473-5228.
Jena Staples, a neighbor, said of the couple, “They seemed like they got along really well … Everything seemed perfectly fine.”
Another neighbor, Alexis Gregory, said she learned something had happened that night when a friend who had been invited over called from outside and said, “Hey, guys, I’m not coming in … You’ve got like five cop cars outside your door.”
Gregory said, “We figured a crime had happened nearby and they were just searching the perimeter.” While being questioned by police, Gregory found out that the crime was much closer to home than she thought.
An officer “basically asked us if we knew our neighbors, to describe who we thought lived there,” Gregory said. “When he knew that we knew who they were, he was like, ‘OK, just so you know, those two are deceased in there.’”
According to Gregory, other neighbors who lived closest to the home of the deceased reportedly heard arguing coming from the house.
— With reporting by Nick Twietmeyer
