A Washington woman, Young An, who was allegedly kidnapped, stabbed and buried alive by her estranged husband, was seen shopping for Halloween candy on Monday.
It comes as Chae An, who is her 53-year-old estranged husband and suspected attacker, pleaded not guilty to all counts, reported Fox News. He faces charges of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree domestic violence assault and first-degree domestic violence kidnapping. Chae, who is being held without bail, recently appeared via Zoom in an orange prison jumpsuit, white undershirt and coronavirus face mask.
He only spoke to confirm his birth date in front of the judge. His attorney, Patrick O'Connor, objected to presence of media in the courtroom, but was overruled by Judge Sharonda Amamilo.
On Oct. 16, Chae allegedly duct-taped his 42-year-old estranged wife by her hands and feet and then dragged her out of her house. At the time of the attack, she was wearing her Apple Watch, which in a way helped her. According to court documents, during the struggle she was able to call 911 from her Apple Watch and send emergency alerts to a friend and her kids. But Chae allegedly broke the device with a hammer, reported Daily Beast.
The couple were gone by the time cops reached the house. The two were on their way to a spot in the forest where he would allegedly stab her and throw her into a grave that was shallow.
Records showed that Chae and Young are going through a messy divorce. At one point, she also had a restraining order against him that had been rescinded before the alleged kidnapping. According to court documents, it was normal for Chae to drop by her house once a week to do laundry, so it wasn’t unusual when she arrived home with her two children from church and saw his car in the driveway. Young told police after her escape and rescue that soon they got into an argument over money. He allegedly told her that "he would rather kill her than give her his retirement money."
According to court documents, she said that her husband drove her to a forested area, which is about seven miles from her home in Lacey. Then he threw her in a hole just 19 inches deep. He threw dirt and a downed tree over her and stabbed her breasts. She remained in the shallow grave for hours until she used the cover of darkness to escape.
Chae was later found by cops in the woods, and has since been in custody. He is scheduled to face court on Nov. 16, according to Yahoo! News.
