A Dance, a Rock, and a Confession: The Kvalshaug Murder Plot
Charles Newcomb and Mrs. Kvalshaug admitted ambushing Martin Kvalshaug near his home after a dance, then firing five shots into his body. Newcomb said the plot began with the wife.
Tacoma — Charles Newcomb and Mrs. Kvalshaug have confessed a cold-blooded plot to murder Martin Kvalshaug, who was killed at 1 o'clock Saturday morning within two blocks of his own home.
According to the confession of the prisoners, they have been planning the murder for months. Newcomb said that he had stationed himself at a point where he knew Mr. and Mrs. Kvalshaug would pass on their way home from a dance. He held a large rock in one hand, and when the couple were opposite him, reached out from his concealment and struck down his victim. While Kvalshaug was writhing on the ground, Newcomb commanded the woman to go away and he then fired three shots into the prostrate man's body. Mrs. Kvalshaug then picked up the revolver and fired two shots into her husband's body. Newcomb says the plot originated in the brain of Mrs. Kvalshaug.
“Newcomb says the plot originated in the brain of Mrs. Kvalshaug.”
The Kvalshaug case is a reminder that intimate-partner violence and premeditated domestic homicide were front-page news long before modern shelter movements and protective orders. Today, Washington courts treat such killings as a public-safety crisis, though the language—and the resources for prevention—have changed.
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