Bellingham man awaiting attempted murder trial accused of making knife out of jail tablet
A Bellingham man currently incarcerated in the Whatcom County Jail and awaiting trial for attempted murder has been charged with a felony after allegedly breaking an electronic tablet and using a broken piece of the plastic to make a knife.
Charles Anthony Quintanilla, 33, was charged Wednesday, Aug. 28, in Whatcom County Superior Court with one count of weapon possession by a prisoner, a felony.
He was expected to make his first appearance in court for the case the same day. Records from the hearing were not immediately available Thursday, Aug. 29.
On Monday, Aug. 26, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office corrections deputies working in the downtown Whatcom County Jail discovered a large plastic piece was missing from one of the electronic tablets that are available to people incarcerated in the jail. Corrections deputies determined the tablet had been used by someone in housing unit 2A, and found the missing plastic piece in cell 1, with Quintanilla, according to court records.
The 2A housing unit, or cellblock, is a unit where incarcerated people are required to be in their cells 23 hours a day. They are only allowed out of their cells one hour each day, where they are allowed to be in the common area of the cellblock and the recreation area. Each cell in the housing unit contains a maximum of two incarcerated people, but some cells only have one person in them, according to previous reporting in The Bellingham Herald.
The piece of hard plastic was approximately a quarter-inch thick, 1.5 inches wide and 8 inches long. Roughly 5 inches had been ground down to a “curved sharp edge” on one side, with a sharp point on the end, while the bottom had been wrapped in bandages in an attempt to make a knife, court records state.
A sticker with a serial number on the tablet was still on the piece of plastic.
Quintanilla allegedly admitted to deputies that he had removed the plastic from the tablet and made the knife, and told them how he did it. The tablet was later determined to have been issued to Quintanilla on Aug. 22, according to court records.
Attempted-murder arrest
Quintanilla has been incarcerated in the downtown Bellingham jail since his arrest Oct. 10, 2023 for allegedly attempting to strangle a woman to death.
Shortly before 9:40 p.m. on Oct. 10, Quintanilla called 911 and disclosed that he was suicidal and had assaulted a woman known to him at his Bellingham residence.
While on the phone with a Bellingham Police Department officer, Quintanilla told them how he wanted to hurt the woman, and how he had strangled her until she lost consciousness, the court documents state.
Medical personnel and officers on scene found the woman had bruising and redness on her neck consistent with strangulation. The woman told officers she feared for her life and believed Quintanilla was trying to kill her, records state.
Quintanilla was arrested without incident and read his Constitutional rights. He then told officers he had planned to kill the woman that night and “no one would be able to stop him.” He said he hoped she would have stopped breathing when he strangled her, and told officers he planned to take his own life after taking hers, according to court records.
Further investigation by Bellingham police revealed that Quintanilla expressed having an “urge to seriously harm and kill innocent civilians” by dressing up in a Halloween mask and going on “a stabbing spree.” Quintanilla told officers he would “feel ‘fulfilled’ to cause others harm and make people feel the pain he feels inside himself,” the records state.
He was charged Oct. 13, 2023 with one count of attempted first-degree murder (domestic violence), and one count of first-degree assault (domestic violence). His assault charge includes an alternative lesser charge of second-degree assault (domestic violence). All are felonies and include domestic violence enhancements that allege Quintanilla committed the crimes against an intimate partner, court documents show.
Quintanilla was denied bail and will remain incarcerated until his court case is resolved. He pleaded not guilty to the charges Oct. 20, 2023, court records state.
His trial is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 14.
Resources
▪ NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Whatcom: https://www.namiwhatcom.org/crisis-resources.html
▪ Washington State Crisis Line/National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call or text 988 or text HOME to 741741 for a crisis counselor.
If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. An online chat is also available at 988lifeline.org
▪ Whatcom County Triage Center Crisis Line: 800-584-3578
▪ Brigid Collins Family Support Center: 360-734-4616, brigidcollins.org
Brigid Collins Family Support Center professionals are on-call between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Monday through Friday, to answer questions about children, families, abuse prevention or treatment at (360) 734-4616.
▪ Child Protective Services: Washington state hotline for reporting child abuse and neglect, 866-829-2153.
▪ Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services: 24-hour Help Line: 360-715-1563, Email: info@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/.
If you or a child is in immediate danger, call 911 and make a report to law enforcement.
To report child abuse or neglect call 1-866-END HARM.
