Court hears details in case of Whatcom man who said he shot, killed father in self-defense
The Everson man who said he shot and killed his father in self-defense has had his bail reduced and has been released from jail after more details of the incident, including a recording of the shooting, were revealed.
At a hearing on Monday, Jan. 24, a Whatcom County Superior Court Judge reduced Ethan Michael Knight’s bail to $250,000 bond or $25,000 cash.
The 20-year-old was released from Whatcom County Jail Jan. 24, according to jail records.
Knight is facing a second-degree murder charge in Whatcom County Superior Court for the death of his father, 46-year-old Michael Knight, according to court records.
At his first appearance hearing on Jan. 7, the court set Ethan Knight’s bail at $1 million.
Ethan Knight’s public defense attorneys, Starck Follis and Maialisa Vanyo, filed a motion Jan. 18 to reduce the bail amount, arguing that there’s no evidence Ethan Knight would not appear for his subsequent court appearances or that he would intimidate witnesses or interfere with the court process. His attorneys also wrote in their motion that no danger exists of Ethan Knight committing a violent offense if released due to the particular circumstances surrounding this case, according to court records.
The shooting
Everson police and Whatcom County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the 600 block of Prairie Court in Everson around 11:32 p.m. on Jan. 6 after Ethan Knight’s mother called and said Ethan Knight had shot her ex-husband, Michael Knight, according to previous reporting in The Bellingham Herald.
Michael Knight’s body was found in the master bedroom, and Ethan Knight and his mother were unarmed in the living room when law enforcement arrived. Ethan Knight’s gun was found on the dining room table, the records show.
Before saying he wouldn’t answer further questions without his attorney, Ethan Knight told law enforcement he shot his father after his father allegedly pointed a gun at him. He then made his gun safe, according to court records. Ethan Knight said he shot Michael Knight in self-defense and then took Michael Knight’s gun and placed it in a nearby bathroom, the records state.
The mother, who also said she would not answer further questions without speaking to a lawyer, told law enforcement that Michael Knight had been drinking alcohol throughout the day and bothering his son. She told law enforcement that at one point, Ethan Knight came into her bedroom to complain about his father, and she had to get between the two, the court records state.
Detectives found Michael Knight had been shot in the face and at least once in the left side of his body. Three spent shell casings were also found near his body, court records state.
A family mastiff that was behind Michael Knight during the shooting was also shot by Ethan Knight. It was not reported if the dog survived or if the shooting is believed intentional, records show.
The recording
The day after the shooting, on Jan. 7, Ethan Knight’s defense attorneys learned that much of the incident had been recorded on the mother’s cell phone, according to court records.
In a defense interview, Ethan Knight’s mother said there was a history of alcohol use and domestic violence with Michael Knight. She said he was estranged from the family and had been living in Michigan, the records state.
Ethan Knight’s mother told defense investigators that her ex-husband had recently been in the family home in an attempt to “reconnect,” but that Michael Knight had displayed increasing and uncontrolled alcohol use and belligerent and aggressive conduct that resulted in physical altercations, including with Ethan Knight, the records show.
Ethan Knight’s mother told defense attorneys that on the night of the shooting, her son had gone to bed while her ex-husband was highly intoxicated. She said Ethan Knight had come into her room multiple times for help, including asking her to call 911, because Michael Knight was bothering him and acting aggressively, court records state.
Eventually, Ethan Knight came into her room armed with a handgun and asked her again to call 911. Ethan Knight started a recording on his mother’s cell phone as she got in between him and his father, the records show.
The mother said Michael Knight refused to leave and pushed her out of the way to get to a handgun that was in the nightstand. The mother said she then heard gunshots and found her ex-husband shot and bleeding. Ethan Knight then told his mother to call 911, the court records show.
In Ethan Knight’s defense attorneys’ motion, they wrote that the state has the burden of disproving the self-defense claim made by Ethan Knight and that during his first appearance, the judicial officer did not have a complete picture to consider the context of probable cause, according to court records.
Ethan Knight’s attorneys state that the additional context is relevant and significant to the amount of bail set and for determining the likelihood of whether Ethan Knight will commit a violent offense if released, the court records show.
“There is no evidence that he presents any kind of generalized risk to the community or to witnesses or family members. This is a particular circumstance that it will be up to a jury to decide if the state can disprove self-defense beyond a reasonable doubt,” Ethan Knight’s attorneys wrote.
Ethan Knight’s defense attorneys asked the court to reduce his bail to $100,000, which includes a $10,000 cash alternative, the records show.
Bail request
In a response to Ethan Knight’s defense attorneys’ motion, Whatcom County Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Erik Sigmar wrote that prosecuting attorneys reviewed the recording and evidence of self-defense prior to charging Ethan Knight with murder, the court records state.
During the recording, Michael Knight allegedly asks his son why he pulled a gun on him and said that Ethan Knight always thought he had to have a gun, according to court records. Michael Knight then allegedly said Ethan Knight “goes to bars and pulls guns on people,” a claim Ethan Knight denied, and then went on to make statements that Ethan Knight was not stable enough to have a gun, Sigmar wrote in the motion.
Law enforcement determined Michael Knight had moved back to Washington a year ago and had visited his ex-wife and son during that time, the records show.
Sigmar wrote in the motion that judicial officials regularly set bail at $1 million for other murder cases in Whatcom County Superior Court and requested Ethan Knight’s bail remain unchanged, the records state.
Ethan Knight’s trial has tentatively been scheduled for March 7, 2022, court records show.
