Police Investigating Airway Heights Homicide
AIRWAY HEIGHTS — For the first time in a decade police in Airway Heights are investigating a murder after a woman was stabbed to death Monday night and her boyfriend was found with blood on his hands.
The victim has been identified as 59-year-old Julie M. Johnson, who was found dead in her residence at the Rainbow Trailer Park on 12th and Craig in Airway Heights. She lived there with her boyfriend Tim Duffy, who police say called 911 saying that something had happened and to “send someone over now.”
When police first arrived at the house around 7 p.m. Monday Duffy told them “she is dead.”
“The officer knocked on the door, a man came to the door, white male came to the door with blood on his hands, he had blood splattered on his face,” Airway Heights Police Chief Lee Bennett said.
Police say Duffy stabbed Julie Johnson several times inside the trailer they shared. He was arrested and charged with 2nd Degree Murder for Johnson’s death and made his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon.
“It looks like it was one of those spur of the moment assaults that went bad,” Chief Bennett said.
Friends of Johnson’s like Stacie Cady can’t understand it. She says there was never a reason to worry something like this could happen. She calls Johnson a kind person who would always help others out, adding that Duffy was a nice guy but that he didn’t seem like himself on Monday.
Cady believes she may have been the last person to see Julie before she was killed Monday night.
“She seemed a little upset Tim was gone, but she didn’t feel threatened or anything, we discussed her giving my son a ride home in the morning,” Cady said.
Earlier in the day Stacie was visiting Julie when she says Duffy’s dog bit her son. She says the dogs always caused an argument between the two.
“Julie didn’t want the dogs there, he didn’t want to get rid of them,” she said. “I think this is kind of silly if it’s over a dog.”
Police investigating the murder Monday night found a large Rottweiler in the bedroom bleeding from a stab wound.
Duffy is now being held on a $500,000 bond at the Spokane County Jail.
