CLARE L SHELSWELL - 5 yo -(2010) Hoodsport (SW of Bremerton) WA

Hoodsport WA ---- Authorities have detained a father as a person of
interest in the knife-attack death of his 5-year-old daughter in Hoodsport.



Mason County Sheriff Chief Deputy Dean Byrd says the child's body was found
around 6 p.m. Sunday with her throat slashed after
someone in the house called 911.
It was not immediately clear what prompted the attack
or what led deputies to detain the girl's father.
Officers have cordoned off the home in the 200 block of North Mt.
Seattle Way near Lake Cushman while they investigate.
Names of the people involved have not been released and no other
details are available at this time.

Peter James Wilson, 29, of Abbotsford is scheduled to appear in court
Monday after his stepdaughter died after having her throat slit
Sunday at a holiday home in Hoodsport, near Lake Cushman, Washington.Mason
County Sheriff Chief Deputy Dean Byrd told reporters the girl's body
was found about 6:13 p.m. after someone in the house called 911.Investigators
say the man became upset with his daughter and took the knife to her
neck.The identity of the girl has not been released, although she
is reported to be from B.C. Other family members were found inside the
home, including the girl's nine-year-old sister, but were unharmed. Byrd said this is the worst crime he's seen in his long career with the
department."As a police officer and a representative of the
department, our heart goes out to the family members that have endured
this awful, horrific event."I mean, a five-year-old child, a
family member, how does a thing like that happen?" The home is in
the 200 block of North Mt. Seattle Way near Lake Cushman, a popular
camping and hiking destination located west of Seattle in the Olympic
Peninsula. Detectives say the B.C. family had only been staying
in the area for a few days before the girl's death. Authorities
said an autopsy is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday.

I sound like a broken record, but what the hell is wrong with these people? This is tragic and horrible.

The stepfather of a 5-year-old girl who died after her throat was
slashed with a knife has been ordered held on $3 million bail.
A Mason County Superior Court judge on Monday found probable cause to
hold 29-year-old Peter James Wilson. The Abbotsford, British Columbia,
man was jailed for investigation of first-degree murder.
Mason County sheriff's Chief Deputy Dean Byrd identified the little
girl as Clare L. Shelswell.
According to a probable cause statement, Wilson and his wife were
arguing about child discipline Sunday evening at a Hoodsport, Wash.,
house near Lake Cushman. He reportedly told his wife that he would "take
care of it."
Authorities say Wilson took the girl downstairs and his wife ran
after them when she heard screaming. Court documents say she found her
daughter in a pool of blood.
Wilson told sheriff's detectives he has bipolar disorder and was
taking medication.
The family was visiting from Abbotsford.

The stepfather of a 5-year-old girl who died after her
throat was slashed with a knife has been ordered held on $3 million
bail. A Mason County Superior Court judge on Monday found probable
cause to hold 29-year-old Peter James Wilson.

The Abbotsford, British Columbia, man was jailed for investigation of
first-degree murder. Mason County sheriff's Chief Deputy Dean Byrd
identified the little girl as Clare L. Shelswell.

According to a probable cause statement, Wilson and his wife were
arguing about child discipline Sunday evening at a Hoodsport, Wash.,
house near Lake Cushman. He reportedly told his wife that he would "take
care of it."

Authorities say Wilson took the girl downstairs and his wife ran after
them when she heard screaming. Court documents say she found her
daughter in a pool of blood.

Wilson told sheriff's detectives he has bipolar disorder and was taking
medication. He told them he knew when he was walking downstairs that he
was going to kill her.

The family was visiting from Abbotsford.

MOTHER'S FULL STATEMENT:

"This is without a doubt one of the hardest letters I have had to write,
because it is the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with. I am
choosing to release this statement to the media, with my family's
blessing, in hopes that it will cease the garbage and lies that
circulates as 'fact' in the press.

My daughter Clare - and please note there is no 'i' in her name, at
least have the courtesy to spell it correctly - has indeed been killed
by Peter James Wilson. Anyone with a heart will be affected by this
story, especially due to the brutal way in which she died. My family
and I had less than 4 hours to reel from the events before it was making
headline news. My request now, is that we be left to mourn the loss of
our beloved daughter,
granddaughter, niece and sister, in peace.

My heartfelt thanks and appreciation go to all of the emergency personnel
that have been involved in helping us navigate this trauma.
God's richest blessings on you all for the amazing compassion and heart
you have shown to me and my family during this time. The family
gratefully accepts all offerings of prayer and love. Asking us how we
are doing is redundant and unhelpful - put yourself in our shoes and
give yourself an answer.

Funeral arrangements for our beautiful baby girl will be released only
to those who are invited to attend. There will be no public
announcement - don't ask. This is the only statement that will be
released by the family. We are not interested in making further comments."

The 29-year-old Abbotsford man imprisoned in Washington state after
allegedly fatally slashing his five-year-old stepdaughter’s throat is
not under suicide watch, Mason County Sheriff Chief Deputy Dean Byrd
said Tuesday.“Peter James Wilson is in an isolation cell,” Byrd
said. “He is fairly stoic and has made no comments about wanting to end
his life or anything like that, so we’ve no reason to put him on what we
call a suicide watch.”Meanwhile, investigators are probing
Wilson’s family life, Byrd said. The key issue of interest, Byrd
suggested, is whether the suspect committed a pattern of assault or
harassment crimes against his stepdaughter.If there is evidence
of such crimes, Washington state prosecutors could pursue an aggravated
first-degree murder charge in the case, which could lead to a death
sentence. “The investigation continues into looking at the
background and relationships of the suspect,” Byrd said. “We don’t have
any information on how the prosecution will proceed — it just depends on
what the investigation uncovers in the next few days.”Wilson,
who has dual Canadian-U.S. citizenship, and told police he suffers from
bipolar disorder, said he killed his stepdaughter, Clare Louise
Shelswell, by slashing her throat with a kitchen knife, according to a
police statement. He was arrested for first-degree murder Sunday
evening at a rented vacation home in Lake Cushman, west of Seattle.In
the 911 call, Sarah Wilson screams for an ambulance as she frantically
tries to save her daughter.“My daughter’s throat has just been
cut. I need you to come right now!”She later tells the operator
in the 23-minute call that, “My husband took a knife to her throat.”Although
it’s alleged both Wilson and his wife Sarah told police he is bipolar
(manic-depressive), Byrd said police won’t delve into Wilson’s medical
history unless his defence raises it as an issue.In an interview
with CBC, Clare’s biological father, James Shelswell, questioned the
mental health claims made by both Wilson and Sarah and said he hopes
Wilson “fries.”Wilson appeared in Mason County Superior Court inShelton,
Wash., on Monday, where his bail was set at $3 million. His next
scheduled court appearance is July 12, when he is expected to enter a
plea.On Tuesday, Wilson’s lawyer, Ronald Sergi, a public defender
appointed by the court, said he doesn’t think prosecutors will seek the
death sentence.“Aggravated first-degree murder is the [charge]
that would bring the death penalty into play, and I don’t think this
alleged crime fits that definition,” he said.Wilson’s dual
Canadian-U.S. citizenship seems to be a complicating factor on
death-penalty questions, and both Byrd and Sergi said they don’t have
clarity on the issue.In fact, Wilson’s case “is unprecedented
stuff,” said Mark Warren, a human rights and legal consultant, and an
expert on consular affairs and death-penalty issues. Warren said
Canadians facing the death penalty abroad can ask the federal government
to seek clemency intervention, but it’s not clear if the policy extends
to dual citizens. “[Wilson] should still at least be offered the
opportunity to be assisted by Canada, but . . . who’s to say? We’re in
uncharted waters.”Canadian government officials did not respond
to an interview request.Warren noted that Washington state
prosecutors have the final say on how to proceed, and mental health
could be a “mitigating circumstance” that would deter seeking of the
death penalty.

Dad of slain B.C. girl calls for death penalty



Last Updated:

Tuesday, June 29, 2010 | 5:55 PM PT CBC News


Five-year-old Clare Shelswell, of Abbotsford, B.C., was
killed in Washington. Her stepfather is in police custody in connection
with the slaying. (Facebook)

The
biological father of a five-year-old girl from Abbotsford, B.C., who was
killed in Washington says the person responsible should face the death
penalty.
Clare Shelswell's stepfather, Peter Wilson, is in police custody in
the city of Hoodsport, Wash., after her throat was slashed Sunday during
a family vacation at a rental property.
The girl's father, Jim Shelswell, who now lives in Calgary, told CBC
News he learned of his daughter's death Tuesday morning when his brother
called from Abbotsford.
"I couldn't believe it," Shelswell said. "I didn't think it was true.
I thought maybe it was the wrong person at first.
"I hope [the perpetrator] fries. The sooner the better," Shelswell
said.
He said he met Wilson, 29, on a couple of occasions.
Investigators in Washington on Tuesday released a 911 call from the
young victim's mother, Sarah Wilson.
"Ma'am, you need to tell me what's happening," the 911 operator told
Wilson, who was screaming.
"Send an ambulance," Wilson shouts. "My daughter's throat has just
been cut."
Peter Wilson is being held on $3 million bail and has not been
charged.
Prosecutors said it's too early to tell what charge might be laid
against Wilson and whether they will seek the death penalty, which is a
prosecutorial option in Washington.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/06/29/bc-clare-shelswell-homicide-father.html#ixzz0sJYRR9eC

The last time James Shelswell saw his daughter Clare was two years
ago in Vancouver.Clare, Shelswell and his other daughter
Suzanna, who was six at the time, had gone to the Vancouver Aquarium,
followed by a trip to McDonald's.“The kids were having a
great time,” Shelswell, 48, told The Vancouver Sun from his Calgary home
Tuesday night. “We saw all the fish and goofed around. Even the lady at
McDonald’s commented, ‘Jeez, you’ve got good kids.’”That
visit was only the fifth in five years, Shelswell said, after his wife
Sarah Wilson divorced him and moved to Abbotsford from Calgary with the
girls, limiting his visits.Clare was only four months old
at the time.“Every time I phoned, it was a big hassle to
see them,” he said. “I just kept paying everything. It burns me; it just
burns me. You’re paying all this money and you can’t see your kids. I
should have hired a lawyer, but I’ve only got so much money.”Clare
died over the weekend while vacationing with family at Lake Cushman in
Washington state, about 200 kilometres south of Vancouver.Her
stepfather, Peter James Wilson, 29, was arrested Sunday evening in
Hoodsport, Wash., on the Olympic Peninsula after police arrived at a
two-story rented vacation cabin to discover the little girl's throat
had been slashed.According to a statement released by the
Mason County Sheriff's Office, Wilson had told a detective he killed his
stepdaughter with a knife he found on the kitchen counter after
fighting with his wife about disciplining the children.Shelswell
said he found out about the grisly murder through his brother, who
learned of it from media reports and called him from his home in
Abbotsford at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.“[Sarah Wilson] didn’t
call me, the Americans didn’t call me. The last name of the kids is
Shelswell. They could have called me; I am the father,” he said angrily.Shelswell
had only met his ex-wife's new husband a couple times and did not know
about his bipolar disorder, or that he was on medication.Shelswell
said “death is too good” for Peter Wilson and hopes he “suffers for the
next 20 years.”“What goes around comes around, and I hope
it comes around. He should be made to suffer. Somebody who does that to
a five-year-old girl?”He is “devastated” he was not able
to protect Clare.“You’re not supposed to outlive your
kids,” he said, sobbing. “You’re supposed to be gone before them. That’s
the way it should be, you know? You’re 80, they’re 40.”