Whatcom man sent to prison for his role in April 2020 stabbing death
A 32-year-old Ferndale man will spend a little more than two years in prison for his role in the April 2020 stabbing death of a 57-year-old Whatcom County man.
Zachary Ivan Tellez was sentenced to 27 months in prison, with 1½ years probation on Thursday, Nov. 17, in Whatcom County Superior Court. Tellez pleaded guilty Oct. 18 to one count of first-degree burglary and one count of rendering criminal assistance, both felonies.
Tellez was initially charged with one count of first-degree murder and one count of first-degree burglary, and both charges included deadly weapon enhancements. Tellez’s charges were reduced as part of a plea deal, according to court records.
As part of his sentencing, Tellez will not be allowed to possess or consume alcohol and will be required to undergo a substance abuse evaluation and comply with any treatment, court documents state.
Tellez was with 35-year-old Kali Marie McConnell at the time McConnell stabbed her father, Dale M. Henefin, to death.
McConnell, of Bellingham, was sentenced to 17 years in prison with three years probation in June 2021. She pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder for her father’s death. She was also sentenced in a second-degree assault case from an unrelated event that occurred in mid-March 2020.
Court records show McConnell and Tellez arrived at Henefin’s home 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.
A woman who also lived at Henefin’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. She 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. 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 records show.
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 on April 23, 2020, the records show.
As part of Tellez’s sentencing, a 20-year no-contact order was put in place between Tellez and the woman who lived at Henefin’s home.
Resources
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or sexual assault, you can contact the following local resources for free, confidential support:
▪ Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services: 24-hour Help Line: 360-715-1563, Email: info@dvsas.org, or https://www.dvsas.org/.
▪ Lummi Victims of Crime: 360-312-2015.
▪ Tl’ils Ta’á’altha Victims of Crime: 360-325-3310 or nooksacktribe.org/departments/youth-family-services/tlils-taaaltha-victims-of-crime-program/
▪ Bellingham Police: You can call anonymously at 360-778-8611, or go online at cob.org/tips.
▪ WWU Consultation and Sexual Assault Support Survivor Advocacy Services: 360-650-3700 or wp.wwu.edu/sexualviolence/.
▪ Brigid Collins Family Support Center: 360-734-4616, brigidcollins.org
▪ Child Protective Services: Washington state hotline for reporting child abuse and neglect, 866-829-2153.
This story was originally published November 23, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
