Bonney Lake Man Charged In Ex-Wife's Stabbing

BONNEY LAKE, WA — The man accused in a brutal stabbing attack on his ex-wife, in front of the couple's young children, has been charged with attempted murder. The Pierce County Prosecutor's Office said 36-year-old Roger Woodard was arraigned on three total charges at Superior Court on Monday: first-degree attempted murder, first-degree kidnapping and first-degree burglary. Woodard pleaded not guilty to all of them and is being held on $1 million bail.

Court documents said the victim, a 32-year-old woman, had too many stab wounds to count. Deputies arriving on the scene Thursday night found blood all over the house, before eventually locating the woman in her back yard with wounds all over her torso and face. A neighbor told investigators he heard the woman and her children calling for help and spotted Woodard climbing over a back fence.

Several neighbors helped provide first aid while waiting for first responders. Woodard fled the scene on-foot, spurring a manhunt by land and air that lasted until the next evening.

The News Tribune reports the couple married in 2013. The woman filed for divorce in 2015, before reconciling temporarily. She filed again in late 2017, citing fear of her husband. Woodard was reportedly unhappy with a custody plan, which he called cruel.

On Friday detectives were able to interview the victim at the hospital. She told them the couple's divorce was final as of last November and that Woodard had been evicted from his apartment in August. He had repeatedly approached her about resuming their relationship, which she declined to do.

A pre-trial conference hearing is scheduled for October 15th. The couple's children remain in protective custody.