Kirkland Woman Was Stabbed, Doused In Chemicals Over Safe: KCPO

KIRKLAND, WA — The man accused of carrying out a violent March 19 home invasion in Kirkland stabbed a woman because he thought she was lying about the location of a safe, according to prosecutors. Kevin Harper, 36, is facing multiple charges, including attempted murder, in connection to the crime.

The violent robbery began around 7:30 p.m. when Harper forced his way inside the woman's home holding a knife, prosecutors say. He threatened to kill the victim if she resisted, and proceeded to steal jewelry and several wallets. He then forced the victim to follow him to a vehicle so they could drive to an ATM.

Along the way, Harper noticed a set of keys, which he believed were for a safe in the victim's house. She told him she didn't have a safe, and that's when he began stabbing her, according to court documents.

"Harper shoved a piece of fabric into her mouth and tried to bind her hands with a band. [The victim] said that Harper used his knife to cut and stab her in her neck and body as she was trapped in her closet, and that she used her arms in an attempt to defend herself," Kirkland police wrote in an incident report.

Harper stopped his attack after the victim played dead. But when she tried to get her phone, Harper began stabbing the woman again, according to court records. He then doused her in cleaning chemicals, which the victim believed was an attempt to light her on fire.

The victim lost consciousness, and when she awoke, Harper was gone. She crawled into the street, where two people driving by found her. She was stabbed seven times in the face, neck, arms, and torso. Harper knew the woman because he had been to her house as her plumber on four occasions, according to court documents.

Harper is now facing charges of attempted murder, robbery, burglary, and kidnapping. He is being held in the King County Jail without bail.

This isn't the first time Harper has been accused of violence.

He was initially accused of murder in the killing of three members of the Goggin family in 2011 in the Yakima area. In that incident, Harper and a woman named Tracy Culton planned to burglarize the Goggin family home, but Bill, Pauline, and 98-year-old Bettye Goggin ended up being beaten to death. Harper was not charged with murder due to a series of missteps by local police and prosecutors. He ended up only being charged with theft and a weapons violation. He was released from jail in 2017.