An Olympia man faces allegations he threatened to kill his girlfriend with a gun before turning the gun on himself last Saturday, Feb. 7.
Case M. Michaelis, 24, is charged with one count each of first-degree assault with a deadly weapon, domestic violence; fourth-degree assault, domestic violence; felony harassment; and interfering with domestic violence reporting.
Michaelis faces up to life in prison for the first-degree assault charge. He made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday.
Michaelis has no criminal or warrant history, according to court documents.
During the hearing, Commissioner Cailen Cecil set Michaelis’s bail at $150,000 cash or bond, less than the $500,000 requested by Senior Deputy Prosecutor Scott Jackson.
Jackson had noted the “very serious charges” contained allegations with several lethality factors, such as pointing a gun to the victim’s head and threatening to commit suicide.
Lethality factors refer to elements in a case that indicate an increased risk of domestic violence resulting in serious injury or death.
In arguing for a bail of no more than $25,000, Rachael Tiller, Michaelis’s attorney for the day, noted the defendant’s lack of criminal history, his family present in the courtroom, and his willingness to abide by the standard conditions of release. She added that she didn’t believe there were any witnesses to the allegations.
Upon making her ruling, Cecil said the court had to take the allegations and lethality factors seriously.
Cecil entered a no-contact order protecting the alleged victim and an order for Michaelis to surrender any firearms in his possession.
The commissioner set an arraignment for Feb. 12, during which time the court would also review the issue of the firearm surrender.
At one point, Michaelis said he didn’t understand why his constitutional rights were being violated because of a “he said she said.”
According to the probable cause affidavit filed by the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, the alleged victim told a Lewis County sheriff’s deputy that she had confronted the defendant on Feb. 7, the morning after she found out he had been cheating on her.
After the woman told Michaelis to leave, “Michaelis threatened to kill her and put a gun to her head.” the affidavit states. “She said Michaelis shot up, pulled out his gun, and told her he was going to kill her.”
The woman reportedly told the deputy the defendant then “put her on her knees by pushing down on her shoulders” and threw her phone across the room and then out the window.
Michaelis then allegedly threatened to kill the woman, before turning the gun on himself.
Eventually, the woman “was able to calm Michaelis down and remove the firearm,” after which point Michaelis left, according to the affidavit.
The sheriff’s deputy recovered the gun, which reportedly contained one round in the chamber and rounds in the magazine.
The woman indicated the defendant had another gun in his car.
A Thurston County sheriff’s deputy reportedly arrested Michaelis and transported him back to Lewis County, where he was booked into the Lewis County Jail at about 6:46 p.m. Feb. 7.
According to the affidavit, the defendant denied pointing a gun at the woman and “said he had to push (her) away from him and hold her hands because she was going crazing and attacking him.”
Michaelis will look to retain private defense counsel.
