75-year-old victim of Sultan home invasion tells what happened before 80-year-old wife killed intruder



SULTAN, Wash. -- A 75-year-old Sultan man recounted Friday how a man broke into his house and stabbed him before his 80-year-old wife shot and killed the intruder.

The stabbing victim "told deputies that he was watching TV when he saw an unknown male on his back porch," the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office said in a news release.   "He said that the suspect broke down a door to make entry to the home and, when he did, he hit the man (the resident) on the head and began stabbing him.

"The homeowner’s 80-year-old wife said she retrieved a gun and shot the suspect, who was found by arriving deputies collapsed in the doorway of the front room," the news release said. "The homeowners’ adult son was sleeping in another part of the house when the incident occurred."

The deceased suspect was identified Friday as Steven N. Sheppard, 25, of Gold Bar. The medical examiner said the cause of death was "multiple gunshot wounds."

The woman called 911 at about 8:30 p.m. from the home in the 13700 block of Woods Lake Road and said "she had shot an intruder after he broke into her home and stabbed her husband," sheriff's office spokeswoman Shari Ireton said.

Detectives believe it was an attempted burglary and that the suspect and homeowners did not know each other, Ireton said.

The 75-year-old stabbing victim was in serious condition in intensive care Friday at Harborview Regional Medical Center, the sheriff's office said.

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner has completed the identification and examination of the 25-year old male suspect. The decedent is Steven N. Sheppard of Gold Bar. The cause of death is multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death is homicide.

Detectives from the sheriff's Major Crimes Unit are investigating the incident and charges, if any, will be recommended to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office when the investigation is complete, the news release said.