Man arrested after allegedly shooting girlfriend near Marysville

MARYSVILLE — A 63-year-old Marysville-area woman was in critical condition Wednesday night after she was shot in her home by her boyfriend in front of several people, the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office said.

The 70-year-old man was in the process of moving out of the woman's one-story rambler in the 4400 block of 128th Place Northeast, just north of Marysville, where the woman lives with her three teenage daughters, said sheriff's spokeswoman Rebecca Hover. An out-of-town couple were also staying at the house as guests of the woman, she said.

"He was in the process of moving out and for some reason that we're still trying to figure out, he walked into the living room and shot her in front of everyone," Hover said.

The man fled in a mid-1990s Ford Bronco and someone inside the house called 911 at 12:18 p.m., she said.

Descriptions of the man and his vehicle were broadcast to local police agencies, and a sheriff's deputy spotted the Bronco and pulled it over on Highway 530 near Oso, about 20 miles northeast of the woman's home, Hover said.

Ryan Killian, 17, the boyfriend of one of the victim's daughters, said several people in the house witnessed the shooting. He said his girlfriend wasn't among them.

Killian said he wasn't aware of any previous violence between the couple. "He seemed like a pretty normal guy to me" he said of the suspect.

The suspect is talking to detectives and was expected to be booked into the Snohomish County Jail on Wednesday night, Hover said. Detectives planned to obtain warrants to allow them to search the woman's house and the man's truck, Hover said.

Two women have been killed in their Marysville-area homes since June.

On June 5, Shirley Sweeton, 73, was beaten to death with a hammer in her Marysville home. Joshua Gilliam, 25, and Ryan Miller, 22, have been charged with second-degree murder.

On June 2, Shirley Freeman, 73, was stabbed to death in her Marysville-area home. Paul R. Williams, the son of the slain woman's neighbor, has been charged with first-degree murder with a deadly weapon.

Seattle Times news researcher Miyoko Wolf contributed to this report.

Information from Seattle Times archives is included.