Nicholas Matthew, convicted of attempted murder in a 2024 stabbing attack at Point Defiance Park, faces sentencing after a jury found him guilty.
TACOMA, Wash. — A man convicted of attempting to murder a woman during an attack at Point Defiance Park is scheduled to be sentenced Friday.
A jury found Nicholas Matthew guilty of attempted first-degree murder in connection with the February 2024 attack.
Testimony during the trial detailed a violent assault on a park trail. The victim told jurors Matthew held a knife to her throat and repeatedly threatened her life.
The attack ended when another person approached on the trail and asked if she was OK.
Multiple bystanders intervened and fought Matthew off before he fled into nearby trees, according to testimony.
The woman was rushed to Tacoma General Hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery. She suffered multiple lacerations to her head, neck and shoulder, a partially severed ear and breathing difficulties. Doctors placed more than 150 staples in her head.
Tacoma police responded and identified Matthew as the suspect and spent nearly seven weeks searching for him.
According to court documents, investigators tracked Matthew to Georgia before learning he had boarded a flight to San Francisco. Authorities said he was attempting to leave the country when he was arrested at San Francisco International Airport.
The case was delayed by questions surrounding Matthew’s competency to stand trial. A forensic evaluation found he displayed symptoms consistent with schizoaffective disorder, and he was transferred to Western State Hospital for treatment under the custody of the Department of Social and Health Services.
Matthew was found competent to stand trial in October 2024 and was arraigned on the attempted first-degree murder charge. His bail was set at $2 million.
The court later ordered another competency evaluation. In June, Matthew was again found competent to stand trial.
A judge is expected to determine Matthew’s sentence during Friday’s hearing.
