Bloody knife could hold clue to March murder
A fatal stabbing in Spokane in March involved two knives - one of which is splattered with blood that could belong to the killer.
These details were revealed in a search warrant filed this week in Spokane County Superior Court that seeks DNA samples from Robert T. Waters, 27, Joseph T. Harper, 24, and Christopher R. Harper, 27.
The men are charged with second-degree murder for the March 3 slaying of Michael “Mickey” Lyng, 19. (Read a story on the case here.)
Lyng died after stepping into a fight between Lucas Weatherford and Joseph Harper at Harper’s home at 1008 W. Spofford Ave., according to police.
Weatherford and Lyng had a threatening phone conversation with one of the defendants after that fight, leading to a brawl in the street at 900 W. Augusta Ave., where Lyng died, according to a search warrant filed this week in Spokane County District Court.
Weatherford tried pulling Lying from the fight as he exchanged punches with the Harpers, the search warrant said.
Another witness said he heard Chris Harper yell “get your knife” over and over again.
“Weatherford saw blood gushing from Lyng’s left side. Lyng collapsed and died,” the search warrant reads. “The three defendants ran away in the direction of their apartment.”
Detectives recovered two knives - one from underneath the Maple Street Bridge - believed to be used in the killing. One didn’t have any blood; the other had Lyng’s blood and that of an unknown man.
The three men remain in jail.
Amie C. Schott, 20, is charged with three counts for first-degree rending criminal assistance for allegedly driving them from the scene. Her trial is set for October.
Spokane has had four fatal stabbings this year. The most recent, the slaying of William “Billy” O. Floyd, 22, on Saturday, remains unsolved.