Inset: Robert T. Child (Mason County Sheriff”s Office). Background: Child is arrested by deputies (Mason County Sheriff’s Office).
In a tragic turn of events in Washington state, a man allegedly used a shotgun to kill his wife and her boyfriend just a day after she had secured a protection order against him. This startling incident has led to serious charges against the accused.
Robert T. Child, 60, now faces charges of first-degree murder and burglary. Jail records, as per Law&Crime, confirm his detention at the Mason County Jail since Wednesday.
The victims in this harrowing case have been identified as Anna Child and Jason Hilde, both aged 46. Seattle’s NBC affiliate, KING, provided this information as the story unfolded.
Earlier, on March 9, Anna Child had taken legal steps to protect herself by filing for a protection order against her husband. In her filing, she expressed grave concerns for her safety, quoting her husband’s ominous words, “If he can’t have me, no one will.”
Following these serious allegations, a Mason County judge granted the protection order on Monday. This decision legally prohibited Robert Child from venturing within 250 feet of his wife, amidst their ongoing divorce proceedings.
However, the very next day, the situation escalated. While Anna Child and Jason Hilde were at a residence in Hoodsport, Washington, Robert Child allegedly breached the protection order. Authorities report that he entered the home, fatally shooting both individuals with a shotgun before fleeing in his white pickup truck.
A neighbor said he heard the blasts, called 911, and headed toward the home, and as he did so, he encountered the suspect, whom he considered a friend.
“I said, Rob, what … did you do? And he said, ‘Dude, they pointed a gun at me, and I killed them,’” Caleb McGill recounted to KING. “Really gruesome, most gruesome thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve never experienced anything like that.”
Law enforcement arrived at the home around 7 p.m. to find Hilde near the front door with a gunshot wound to the head. Anna Child was on a stairway with gunshot wounds, and a shotgun and spent shells were also discovered inside the home.
The Mason County Sheriff’s Office reported that night that it was “actively investigating a double homicide related to a domestic violence incident that occurred in the Hoodsport area” and “working the area as part of an ongoing search for the suspect.”
Robert Child was arrested on Wednesday evening.
Mason County Sheriff Ryan Spurling reportedly said that authorities had not yet served the protection order to Robert Child when the alleged double murder occurred. The sheriff has ordered an investigation to see whether law enforcement could have done more to prevent the deaths.
