A Washington mother is in custody after police officials said she shot her 14-year-old daughter after the girl called 911 for a domestic dispute the mother and girl’s father were having.
Svetlana Laurel, 52, “was holding a Taser, and used it” on her ex-husband inside his house on Smithers Avenue in Renton, according to a police report.
“Svetlana drew a pistol” and told her ex-husband “she was going to shoot him because he had ruined her life,” according to the document, which was obtained by KIRO 7.
The couple’s 12-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter were both at the house during the incident.
The girl, later identified as Natalie Gulizia, rushed to her bedroom upstairs and called the police.
“The mother found out she was calling 911 and shot her,” Renton Police Department Cmdr. David Leibman told the broadcaster. According to the report, the 911 operator could hear a woman saying “You called 911” and then heard her say something like “blow your head off.”
Then she heard a loud sound followed by screaming.
After killing the girl, Laurel tried shooting her ex-husband but the gun jammed, reported Q 13. He was able to escape and he tackled her shortly before police officers arrived, and the couple’s boy also made it outside.
A Renton police detective told the broadcaster that Laurel’s tirade also involved restraining her ex-husband and 12-year-old son in zip ties. She initially gained entry to the home when the teen was home alone, presenting the boy with Christmas presents that turned out to be old clothes before restraining him.
She put duct tape over his mouth and later removed it, but warned him she would use the Taser on him if he screamed.
Svetlana Laurel booked into jail, suspected of shooting and killing her 14-yo daughter Natalie Gulizia in Renton last night. @KIRO7Seattle pic.twitter.com/v3lKKnzHxF
— AMY CLANCY (@ClancyKIRO7) December 19, 2018
‘Deep Animus’
The stunning sequence of events may have stemmed from a custody dispute as the father had full custody of the children at the time of the shooting.
“It is clear that the defendant holds a deep animus towards her ex-husband and she has proven to be capable of committing the most horrific acts against her own children,” wrote John Castleton, the senior deputy prosecuting attorney who filed the charges in King County, reported the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Laurel is facing an aggravated murder charge in the shooting death. If convicted, she’d face life in prison without the possibility of parole, per state law.
She’s expected to be arraigned on the charges, which also include attempted first-degree murder, kidnapping, and unlawful imprisonment, in January. She’s being held without bail.
The Hope Lutheran Church and School said in a blog post that Gulizia was a graduate from the school and was attending Kennedy Catholic High School.
“She was a bright, talented, and extremely well-loved young lady. Her brother Nicky attended Hope through sixth grade and many of our current Hope 8th graders remain friends with him,” senior pastor Peter Mueller and principal Kristen Okaybayashi wrote.
“The circumstances around this are tragic, and there are no adequate words to express the diversity of feelings and thoughts that arise within our souls at a time like this,” they added, encouraging people to turn to their faith.
A prayer vigil was planned for Gulizia at the Hope Lutheran Church sanctuary in Seattle at 12 p.m. on Dec. 23.
“It will be an opportunity for us to gather together to express our sorrow, process our emotions, and pray,” the church said on Facebook. “All are welcome.”
