A 43-year-old man was killed near Marysville Tuesday night after being struck by an SUV driven by his girlfriend, who then called 911 herself to report what happened. Snohomish County deputies responding to the 12800 block of First Avenue Northwest, west of Marysville, found the man dead at the scene around 8:30 p.m., and the woman was booked into jail the following day on suspicion of second-degree murder with a domestic violence designation.
The suspect, identified by the Lynnwood Times as 43-year-old Golda Hall of Seattle, was booked on the Class A felony after investigators established probable cause to arrest her, according to the Seattle Times. Deputies were dispatched to the rural property after reports of a person down, where a witness described hearing a commotion outside before seeing a plume of smoke, per the Times. Police also received an iPhone crash notification from the woman's location shortly after the incident, the paper reports.
According to the Times, a witness heard a woman's voice in the background of the scene, reportedly saying the man had put his hands on her. Deputies observed damage to the front end of a black Acura SUV that had struck the man while he was on foot, and Hall was heard yelling and screaming through a bullhorn, court records cited by the Times indicate.
Doorbell Video Shows Escalation Before the Crash
Doorbell camera footage reviewed by investigators recorded the SUV parked against the property's gate before it rammed through and into the residence after another vehicle arrived and people went inside, according to KING 5. The footage aligns with the Times' account of the SUV running through the gate and onto the property.
Forensic evidence at the five-acre scene painted a brutal picture of the crash's aftermath. The 43-year-old victim suffered severe blunt force injuries, including a caved-in chest, broken limbs, and back marks consistent with road rash from being dragged, according to HeraldNet. Tire patterns at the scene indicated the vehicle made a three-point turn and drove over him twice, the outlet reports.
During post-arrest questioning, Hall told detectives she had recently lived at the Marysville home with the victim and admitted to running over and killing her boyfriend, per HeraldNet and KING 5. The Times similarly reports that the woman told detectives she had been living at the home until recently and that she had run over and killed the man, per the police report filed in court. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office has not yet confirmed the victim's identity or determined the official cause and manner of death.
Bond Set at $500,000 as Murder Charge Looms
Bond in the case was set at $500,000, according to the Times, though the Snohomish County Prosecutor's Office has not yet formally filed charges. Under Revised Code of Washington 9A.32.050, second-degree murder is defined as causing death intentionally without premeditation, or causing death during the commission of a felony such as assault, according to Washington state law. A Class A felony conviction carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a $50,000 fine, with standard sentencing guidelines for second-degree murder starting at 10 to 18 years for someone with no prior criminal history.
The domestic violence designation attached to the case stems from Washington's Domestic Violence Official Response Act, under which prosecutors append the label to underlying charges when parties share an intimate or cohabiting relationship, altering pretrial release protocols and protection order enforcement, per legal experts. Court records reviewed by HeraldNet indicate a fraught domestic history and erratic behavior preceding the crash, including the bullhorn sirens and gate-ramming captured on doorbell cameras, which built the probable cause for the murder allegation.
How an iPhone Alert Helped Locate the Scene
Automated crash detection technology embedded in mobile devices can automatically notify emergency dispatchers with precise GPS coordinates during severe vehicular impacts, helping first responders locate collision scenes even when occupants cannot speak, according to KIRO Newsradio. That kind of alert appears to have played a role in getting help to the rural property quickly.
The case adds to a grim regional tally. Snohomish County recorded 12 homicides in 2024, a 43.7% decrease from the prior year, even as domestic violence offenses made up nearly half of all crimes against persons reported statewide, per HeraldNet's earlier reporting. A 2024 study from the National Institutes of Health examining Washington State violent deaths found that 13% had documented domestic violence histories, and 44% of domestic violence-related fatalities involved prior contact with law enforcement or social services.
Key questions remain unresolved, including the formal filing of charges by the Snohomish County Prosecutor's Office, official victim identification and cause of death from the medical examiner, and upcoming court appearances regarding bail and legal representation. Hoodline has previously reported on other Snohomish County domestic violence homicide cases, including a Monroe murder charge tied to a toddler's death.
