A 28-year-old woman, accused of fatally stabbing a 55-year-old man in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood, made her initial court appearance on Friday. She is currently being held in jail on a $2 million bail for probable cause of second-degree murder, though she has not yet been formally charged. The woman was apprehended on Thursday in Edgewood after a standoff involving a SWAT team.
The incident began on March 10 at Shorty’s bar, where the woman was with a friend when they encountered Mark Mendez. According to a probable cause statement, the trio later went to the friend’s apartment.
The friend’s account to police revealed that an argument erupted between Mendez and the 28-year-old woman, although she did not provide further details. Mendez reportedly expressed a desire to leave, and as the woman accompanied him to the door, he allegedly struck her. The friend stated that she briefly lost consciousness but recalled seeing the 28-year-old dash past her in pursuit of Mendez.
Afterward, the woman returned to the apartment with visible injuries and requested to go to the hospital. During the court hearing, her defense attorney noted that she had lacerations on her eye and finger. It is alleged that she exited the apartment through a back door to evade police as they arrived on the scene.
Meanwhile, Mendez called the police to report that he had been stabbed twice, sustaining injuries to his stomach and beneath his armpit. He claimed he was invited to the apartment for a “sexual encounter,” but when asked about payment, he declined. Mendez told authorities that he was stabbed with a folding pocketknife while attempting to leave the premises.
The woman’s vehicle was located in a driveway in Fife on Wednesday, leading to her arrest the following day. Upon her apprehension, she was found with an injured left eye, a laceration on her finger, and scratches on her left arm, wrist, and the right side of her neck, as detailed in the probable cause statement.
