Bellingham woman sent to prison for stabbing father to death in April 2020
A Bellingham woman will spend nearly two decades in prison for stabbing her father to death during an argument in late April 2020.
Kali Marie McConnell, 34, was sentenced to 17 years in prison with three years probation Monday, June 7, in Whatcom County Superior Court. McConnell pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in late May for the death of her 57-year-old father, Dale M. Henefin.
McConnell was also sentenced in a second-degree assault case from an unrelated event in mid-March 2020, where McConnell went to her ex-boyfriend’s home and assaulted him and a female friend, court records show. McConnell’s prison time for the assault will be served at the same time as her prison time for the murder.
McConnell was previously charged with first-degree aggravated murder, first-degree murder, second-degree assault and first-degree burglary, court records state. Her charges were lowered as part of a plea deal, the records show.
An alleged accomplice, Zachary Ivan Tellez, 30, of Ferndale, is facing charges of first-degree murder and first-degree burglary. He has a jury trial tentatively scheduled for July 19, court records show.
Court records show that McConnell and Tellez arrived at Henefin’s house in the 4700 block of Mission Road at 9:45 p.m. on April 22, 2020. The pair had gone there to get painkillers for Tellez.
Lives shattered
During her sentencing hearing Monday, Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Richey said he believes the agreed recommendation between the prosecution and defense of asking the judge to sentence McConnell to 17 years was a just resolution. Richey said McConnell did not go to her father’s house with the premeditation to kill him.
McConnell’s public defender, Maialisa Vanyo, said a sentence of 17 years was significant and that it will impact McConnell’s life and the lives of everyone she loves, including her three children. Vanyo said McConnell does and will continue to struggle with profound grief and regret over her father’s murder.
In a pre-sentencing document compiled by McConnell’s defense attorney, Vanyo outlined McConnell’s struggles with mental health, addictions and domestic violence throughout her life. In the document, Vanyo stated that McConnell expressed “a sense of deep sadness and grief over the loss of her life as she once knew it, over her father, as well as her connection with her family,” and said that McConnell had an interested in treatment programs offered through the prison.
Other people in McConnell’s life also shared letters in support of her.
“I just want everyone to know how truly sorry I am for all the pain that I’ve caused. I’m devastated by the amount of lives that have been negatively affected by this horrible incident,” McConnell said during her sentencing hearing. “I wish I had the power to turn back time before all of this happened. I wish I had the power to bring my dad back. I feel terrible and I pray that someday I’ll be forgiven.”
Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Rob Olson said he needed to be insightful while sentencing McConnell and that he could see she was remorseful, but that her prison time needed to also reflect the gravity of the circumstances.
“Not only did you end his life, but you’ve shattered the lives of your family, your children and yourself,” Olson said. “We cannot take time back.”
Olson said he hoped McConnell could take advantage of programs in prison that may help her, and thanked the victims who raised concerns and provided statements to the court. He then followed the agreed recommendation and sentenced her to nearly two decades in prison.
The murder
A woman who also lived at McConnell’s father’s home arrived shortly after Tellez and McConnell, and heard yelling coming from inside.
An argument that began over a cigarette evolved into a physical fight between Tellez and Henefin. During that fight, McConnell went into the kitchen and assaulted the other woman who lived at the home, according to court records. McConnell then dragged the woman out of the house by her hair, and told her to leave. The woman was able to get in her car, back down the driveway and call 911, according to court records.
McConnell also got into a fight with her father, and at some point stabbed him, the records show. McConnell then got into a car with Tellez and said “Get … in, I stabbed him,” before the pair drove off at a high rate of speed, the court records state.
When the woman went back inside the house, she found Henefin, who told her McConnell stabbed him once in the back below his shoulder blade, court records state.
Henefin was taken by ambulance to St. Joseph’s hospital where, despite emergency surgery to repair a punctured lung, he died at approximately 5:40 p.m, the records show.
Henefin’s death was ruled a homicide by the Whatcom County Medical Examiner’s office. An investigation found Henefin died after his brain failed to receive enough oxygen following a single stab wound to the left chest, according to previous reporting in The Bellingham Herald.
This story was originally published June 7, 2021 at 11:22 AM.
