Fatal downtown Spokane stabbing appears to have stemmed from fight over woman

A 50-year-old man is accused of stabbing and killing a 45-year-old man Sunday outside the former Hope House in downtown Spokane.

Anthony L. Chastain was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder in Javier Chavez Jr.’s death, according to court documents.

Chastain made his first appearance Tuesday in Spokane County District Court, where Judge Jennifer Fassbender followed Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Sharon Hedlund’s bond request of $500,000.

Hedlund said the bond amount was “significantly less” than other homicide cases because while Chastain has an extensive criminal history, most of his crimes were misdemeanors.

Hedlund said the stabbing appeared to be the result of an ongoing argument over a woman they both dated.

Chastain’s attorney, Steve Graham, asked Fassbender to impose a $50,000 bond because his client did not have a violent criminal history. Graham said Chastain remained on scene after the stabbing and waited for police to show.

According to court documents, a witness told police he was with Chavez at about 11:10 a.m. at the Old Hope House, 111 W. Third Ave., when Chastain arrived, according to court documents.

Chavez told the witness he and Chastain were texting back and forth before Chastain’s arrival. Chavez said his girlfriend was cheating on him with Chastain, according to the witness in documents.

The witness told police Chavez and Chastain started fighting, and he ran over to separate them. When he got there, Chastain pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim once, documents said.

A woman who lives in the former Hope House told police she heard Chavez and another man arguing near a truck. She then saw Chavez stumble backward while holding his chest.

She heard the man who had been with Chavez yell, “Don’t do this!” She saw Chavez collapse, and the suspect had a knife in his hand, she told police.

Chastain’s sister reported her brother called her around the time of the 911 call, court records say. She said she could hear yelling in the background and heard her brother yelling that he was “jumped.”

Police detained Chastain, who had a large knife at his feet and said, “It was me,” documents say. An officer noted a small mark with blood above Chastain’s eye.

Chastain appeared to have a black eye while appearing in court Tuesday.

A woman told police she dated Chavez for about a month before he went to jail. She said she started dating Chastain while Chavez was in jail, according to documents.

Chavez started living with her at the former Hope House after he was released from jail, according to court records. She broke up with Chavez on Saturday and stayed with Chastain at his Airway Heights home that night, she told police.

Chastain told police he left his girlfriend at his home Sunday morning after receiving a text from someone he knew as “211,” who had information about his girlfriend’s runaway daughter.

Chastain headed to his girlfriend’s residence at the former Hope House because he figured that was where “211” was. He said two men approached him “aggressively” in the parking lot.

Chastain told police one of the men punched him and both of the men grabbed him. He then admitted that the man with Chavez was trying to break up the altercation.

He told police he broke free, pulled his knife out and stabbed the man who was coming at him.

Chastain remained in the Spokane County Jail Tuesday night.