A Washington state fire chief who had been involved in an off-and-on affair for 20 years killed his wife in a fit of rage on the day she tried to leave her with her mistress, investigators said.
Kevin West, 49, was arrested Friday, more than two months after he allegedly strangled Marcel “Marcy” West to death in his Washougal home on the morning of Jan. 8.
According to a police report, a battalion chief with the Camas-Washougal Fire Department told first responders that Marcy West was having a seizure, even though she had no history of seizures.
But investigators quickly became suspicious after receiving calls from concerned family and friends who noticed that the 48-year-old’s neck was covered in “trauma evidence.”
“In the days that followed, people contacted local authorities concerned about potential relationship issues between Kevin and Marcy, and expressed concern that her death may not have been natural.” This was announced by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
“Through the investigation, detectives learned that Kevin and Marcy were having marital and financial problems. Kevin was interviewed and the police found in the home and contained on Kevin and Marcy’s cell phones. Based on comparisons with the evidence, it appears that Kevin made contradictory statements to detectives.”
According to an arrest affidavit, when investigators went to West’s home to question him on January 31, they found him drinking with his mistress in the garage. Obtained by The Columbian.
The pair’s violent affair is said to have begun in 2004, when the woman was working as a volunteer at the fire department, and continued on and off over the next 20 years.
West told investigators that Marcy West had no knowledge of the affair, adding that he had “no future plans” to cheat on her. Investigators found this statement to be false.
Days before the killing, West sent a text message to his girlfriend’s mother outlining his plans to move out on January 8, saying it would be a “big week to celebrate (for us).”
Detectives also discovered two love letters written by the alleged killer to a woman indicating that he intended to break up with Marcy.
“2024 will be our year,” he wrote, according to the affidavit.
“We understand what it means for you and me to be together and celebrate together every day with love. Our story will ring out loud in the new year for everyone to hear. can make it, right!”
West was arrested just two days after his wife’s official cause of death was determined to be homicide by asphyxiation due to blunt force trauma to the neck.
West and Marcy were the only people home at the time, the sheriff’s office said.
Disgraced firefighter denies involvement in wife’s murder.
“I spent my life helping people and saving people,” he said, according to the affidavit. “I never laid hands on his wife.”
West, who worked for the Camas-Washougal Fire Department for 22 years, is currently on unpaid leave.
He is charged with first-degree murder and is being held on $1.5 million bail.
