Family says twin brothers fought before one accidentally stabbed and killed the other in Coulee City

One of the first things Grant County Sheriff’s deputies heard when they entered the home in Coulee City early Sunday morning was “it was an accident.”

One of the first things they saw was 17-year-old Shane Wachter on the floor with a stab wound to his chest, his family and paramedics at his side rendering aid, and his twin brother Shawn Wachter clearly distressed.

At about 2 a.m., Shane Wachter returned home from drinking and fell asleep on the floor of his bedroom while his live-in girlfriend Haylee Hayduk grabbed him a glass of water, according to court documents. When she woke him, he began calling to his brother for help.

Shawn didn’t help his brother up, according to court documents, and the two began arguing.

At first, it was a disagreement about who was louder. Then it turned physical.

The two began rolling around and fighting each other on the bed, a witness told deputies.

“Both had objects in their hands, one of them was holding an arrow,” the witness said, according to court documents.

A family friend was able to separate the two and they both headed to the kitchen. Shawn Wachter told deputies he went there for a glass of water, and Shane followed, court documents state.

According to witnesses, the two entered the kitchen before Shane Wachter emerged, holding his side, yelling “Ah” multiple times while Shawn Wachter went out the back door “because he was freaked out that he stabbed his brother.”

Shawn Wachter told deputies he “grabbed a knife and I jabbed him with the back end of it to get him away from me,” according to court documents. “He still wouldn’t get away and I went to get a drink of water. I guess he walked into it or something like it.”

He said to deputies he grabbed the knife in self defense and couldn’t remember how his brother got stabbed. He told them he could tell his brother was drunk and that was why he was being so belligerent and confrontational, court documents say.

While telling his version of what happened, deputies noted Shawn Wachter “became upset and put his head down and began to cry,” according to court documents.

All the while Shawn Wachter was being interviewed, he had no idea his brother had died of his injuries at Columbia Basin Hospital in Ephrata, court documents say.

Hayduk, Shane’s girlfriend, was in the bathroom when Shane was stabbed. In a statement released to media Tuesday, her family revealed the couple were expecting a baby girl.

“We are asking that everyone please remember to give Haylee the space and added prayers that she will be needing during this extremely sad and difficult time,” the statement reads. “We also ask that you keep Shane’s entire family in your prayers.”