Man sought in fatal South Park stabbing

Nicolas Ramirez was asleep at his home in Seattle's South Park neighborhood when he awoke before dawn Sunday to a woman's screams. At first, he thought his teenage daughter had forgotten to turn off the TV. Then, he looked outside his bedroom window to something horrific: A neighbor bleeding at the end of her driveway.

"I heard the lady say, 'I don't want to die, I don't want to die,' then, 'Tell my mom I love her.' And those were the last words I heard from her," said Ramirez, whose home is in the 700 block of South Rose Street, where one woman was fatally stabbed and another critically injured shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday. It was unclear whether the woman he heard was the one who died.

A 40-year-old woman died and a 37-year-old woman was rushed to Harborview Medical Center, where she was in critical condition, Seattle police Officer Renee Witt said. Police did not release the women's names.

A man entered their house as they slept, possibly through an open or unlocked window in the back, and attacked them, Witt said. Although the surviving victim was stabbed multiple times in the arm and neck, she escaped and got help from neighbors, Witt said.

The women did not know the attacker, and he fled after the attacks, Witt said. He was described as a black man in his late 20s or early 30s, standing about 6 feet tall with a thin muscular build and a thin mustache.

Police distributed fliers seeking additional information from local residents and plan to hold a public meeting today at 7 p.m. at the South Park Community Center. They also hoped to get more information from the surviving victim.

"Our detectives are waiting for her condition to stabilize a bit more before they try to talk to her," Witt said.

Residents of South Park, near the Duwamish River south of downtown Seattle, said they worry the attacker will strike again if not caught soon.

"We're taking it very seriously," said Gregg Snodgrass, who lives about a block from where the stabbing occurred. "It's scary to imagine a nightmare like this happening."

Ramirez said his teenage daughter, who rushed towels to the women in hopes of stopping their bleeding before paramedics arrived, is staying with friends in another neighborhood.

"She's in shock and doesn't want to come home," he said. "I'm worried, because as far as I know, he's out there on the loose."

Amy Martinez: 206-464-2923 or amartinez@seattletimes.com

The article, written July 20, 2009, was corrected July 19, 2009. An earlier version stated that the 37-year-old woman died from stabbing wounds. The 40-year-old woman died.