Images from in-car video (ICV) of Trinity Morley during her July 27 arrest (King County Prosecuting Attorney).
Concerned about their teenager’s purported homicidal intentions, a family in Washington state contacted 911 after discovering disturbing contents in her journal.
Trinity Morley, age 19, was arrested on July 27 in connection with the attempted murder of her former boyfriend, as highlighted in the court papers examined by Law & Crime. Prosecutors noted that Morley’s parents informed law enforcement about their daughter’s mental health struggles, her regular therapy sessions, and her history of being hospitalized for self-injury and a suicide attempt.
The teen’s parents also said they discovered that their daughter had tried to buy a shotgun and lied to them about it.
And then, they found her journal.
On July 18, Morley’s parents sought an extreme risk protection order (ERPO) for her. Days later, on July 27, Morley left home, claiming she was going to “graffiti houses,” but prosecutors alleged she was enacting a more “sinister plan.”
Upon her leaving, her parents searched her room and found the journal entry that worried them. Prosecutors disclosed that she allegedly detailed her intent to murder her ex-boyfriend, writing, “I have the gun now, three rounds of slug of buckshot. The shotgun is heavy. He told me that If I don’t hold it right, my arm will get blown off. I have 3 chances to get this right and I don’t want to resort to the knives.”
She also apologized to her current boyfriend, saying, “I’m sorry I lied to you” and “I’m so sorry to everyone about everything.”
As per the prosecutors, the purchase of the shotgun by Morley was thwarted by Washington’s obligatory “cool-down” period. Moreover, the ERPO impeded the completion of the shotgun’s acquisition. Morley claimed to have received “threatening texts from an unknown number,” persuading her current boyfriend to lend her his shotgun for her protection.
Her parents suspected that she intended to murder her ex-boyfriend and then provoke a “suicide by cop.” Monitoring her phone, Morley’s father tracked her location to her ex-boyfriend’s residence.
Officers were dispatched to the home of Morley’s ex-boyfriend. According to court documents, a call came in to 911 at the same time — from the father of Morley’s ex-boyfriend. He reported that “there was a female standing in his backyard with a rifle dressed in all black and wearing a ski mask.” According to the court documents, the woman in black fled upon seeing the homeowner. Sheriff’s deputies reportedly followed the woman — Morley — to a nearby dock, where she reportedly told them she was “suicidal” and held her shotgun to her chin.
After a brief standoff, Morley dropped her firearm and a knife and deputies took her into custody.
Deputies read Morley her rights, and subsequently admitted that she had planned to kill her ex-boyfriend and then herself, according to the documents. She claimed that he sexually assaulted her, and after she reported the assault in May, charges were never filed. According to prosecutors, detectives closed the case after they determined the claims were “unfounded.”
Deputies reportedly took a soft approach to Morley during her arrest, though prosecutors reviewed the in-car video (ICV) and called Morley’s behavior “eerie.” According to prosecutors, the previously “suicidal” suspect was “smiling, rolling her eyes, and even chuckling” while deputies processed her arrest.
At one point, Morley told the deputy who was writing down the narrative of the arrest, “Pretty good story,” and “You’re quite the writer.”
Morley was taken to King County Jail, where she is being held on $500,000 bond. She is due in court on Oct. 2.
