A woman whose Washington home became the site of a mass stabbing that left five dead filed a protective order claiming occult activity was happening at the property last year, according to reports.
In April 2025, the woman who lived in the property filed the order claiming her son, who lived with her, had been conducting “occult rituals” and “witchcraft” at the home.
The man was “doing witchcraft/occult behavior” and “rituals in my home, damaging personal belongings,” the woman claimed, according to records reviewed by KOMO News.
“[He’s] Hurting my cat. Thinks an Egyptian God! Refuses to get a job. I am an elderly disabled woman, and he is taking advantage of me and my health,” the petition, cited by the outlet, continues.
The petition also cites an incident from April 2025 in which the suspect removed several items from the home and did something that caused a strange smell to come from the garage, KOMO News reports.
“The smoke detector was going off, and my son was acting delusional,” the woman wrote. “Evidence of occult rituals was present.”
The woman asked the court to protect her from her son, who she says had been abusing her both physically and mentally.
A protection order was issued in May 2025 following a string of concerning behavior, including the report of alleged occult activities and another incident in which his mother claimed he told her that “her grave had already been dug.”
On Tuesday, a lone Pierce County Sheriff’s Deputy from its Peninsula Branch responded to a call at the Gig Harbor home and found a 32-year-old male actively stabbing someone. The deputy shot and killed the suspect.
Earlier that day, the sheriff’s office received a tip that a man was going to break a protective order at the home. While the deputy was en route, multiple witnesses called in to report that a person had started stabbing the residents. Four adults died from stab wounds inflicted by the suspect before officers arrived.
Chris Cardenas, a resident near the site of the stabbing, said he heard the gunshot from the deputy on the day of the incident.
“All of a sudden I just heard like a series of gunshots,” he told the Associated Press. “You could really hear it echoing through the trees.”
