Husband arrested in Lynn Heimsoth’s murder, but medically unable to leave the hospital
The Bellingham man accused of fatally shooting his wife and their pets in their home west of Bellingham Dec. 26 has been formally arrested, according to the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office.
Kevin Ralph Heimsoth, 56, was formally arrested Jan. 10 on a warrant, but has not yet been booked into the Whatcom County Jail because he remains hospitalized in Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Heimsoth suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was in satisfactory condition as of Friday, Jan. 17, according to a hospital spokesperson.
Heimsoth was released on his personal recognizance on a court order last week after it was determined he could not leave the hospital and be transferred into the custody of the sheriff’s office, Whatcom County Undersheriff Doug Chadwick said. If his condition improves, the court order directs hospital staff to notify the sheriff’s office and Heimsoth’s attorney if there is any “meaningful change in his condition regarding ‘physical mobility and/or cognition, and/or change in his level of care and/or any anticipated transfers to different medical facilities,’” Chadwick said.
If or when Heimsoth’s condition improves, the sheriff’s office would work with the Whatcom County Prosecutor’s Office to have him taken into custody and appear for future court proceedings, Chadwick said.
The prosecutor’s office formally charged Heimsoth Jan. 3 with premeditated first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree animal cruelty (a felony). The charging documents also include an additional penalty for committing the alleged murder with a firearm, according to Whatcom County Superior Court records.
Whatcom County Public Defender Starck Follis said he was appointed as Heimsoth’s attorney late in the week of Jan. 6. Follis said he presented arguments to a judge and the prosecutor’s office to have Heimsoth appointed an attorney. Under the court rules, a person is entitled to an attorney at the time of arrest, a first appearance in court or at the time a charge is filed, whichever comes first, Follis said.
Follis said he saw Heimsoth in Harborview on Jan. 11, and he was not responsive. The public defender’s office then had Heimsoth evaluated by a forensic expert who reviewed Heimsoth’s medical records and attempted to interview him on Jan. 16, Follis said. The expert determined that Heimsoth was not competent to stand trial and could not understand the nature of the charges against him, or assist in his own defense, Follis said. The report was then sent to the sheriff’s office and prosecutor’s office.
A competency hearing is scheduled for Jan. 23, according to court records.
Sunnyland principal slain
Heimsoth is suspected of fatally shooting his wife, 58-year-old Lynn Heimsoth, who was the principal at Sunnyland Elementary School since July 2017. Her death was ruled a homicide on Dec. 27 by the Whatcom County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Lynn Heimsoth’s therapy dog, Sukha — who attended school with her — and a cat were also found fatally shot in their home in the 900 block of Marine Drive.
Prior to becoming principal at Sunnyland, Lynn Heimsoth served as the principal at Shoultes Elementary in Marysville for four years. She also worked for Bremerton, North Kitsap and South Kitsap school districts as an elementary teacher and instructional leader, according to Bellingham Public Schools.
More than 200 people attended a candlelight vigil held in her honor at Sunnyland Elementary on Dec. 27. Approximately 650 people showed up for a celebration of life for Lynn Heimsoth, which was held at the Bellingham High School Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Jan. 4. A GoFundMe has also been started in her honor.
Sunnyland Elementary students returned to classes on Monday, Jan. 6, and were joined on-site by the district’s and Whatcom County’s mobile response teams to continue to provide support for students or adults who needed it.
During an interview at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Heimsoth told a sheriff’s detective that he did not kill his wife and that he knew who did, court records state.
The sheriff’s office also became aware on Dec. 27 of a Twitter account that may have belonged to Kevin Heimsoth in which he may have admitted to killing his family in replies to the National Rifle Association, President Donald Trump and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Twitter has since suspended the account.
