Purdy stabbing victims remembered for community service, suspect’s family calls WA’s mental health system ‘broken’

Three victims from last week’s fatal stabbing in Purdy are being remembered for their community service within their West Pierce County Community.

On Feb. 24, a 32-year-old man fatally stabbed his mother, Zoya Shablykina, and three others before a deputy shot and killed him. Family friends said the suspect was suffering a mental health crisis when he attacked his mother and bystanders.

Joanna Brandani and Stephanie Killilea were volunteers with the Gig Harbor Arts Commission, while Louise Talley volunteered with Visit Gig Harbor and her local church.

“Our hearts remain shattered for the families of the three brave women — Joanne Brandani, Louise Talley, and Stephanie Killilea — who lost their lives,” the Shablykina family stated. “Their heroism represents the very best of our community.”

What led to the fatal stabbings

Court documents revealed that the suspect, Aleksandr Shablykina, was threatening family members, claiming he was an “Egyptian God,” and had dug a grave prior to the stabbings.

Zoya filed a series of protection orders against her 32-year-old son, claiming he threatened her, hurt her cat, and demanded she refer to him as a “God.”

“I am an elderly disabled woman, and he is taking advantage of me and my health,” Zoya wrote in a protection order filed on April 4, 2025, obtained by KIRO 7.

After Zoya visited her daughter in April 2025, she returned home to a strange smell, with the rugs moved to the garage and framed pictures either destroyed or missing. According to the protection order, the smoke detector was going off and her son was acting “delusional.”

“Evidence of occult rituals were present,” the order stated.

Three victims were killed at the scene in the 14017 block of 87th Avenue Court N.W., while the fourth was transported to a nearby hospital with significant injuries. That victim was pronounced dead despite life-saving efforts from responding paramedics, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.

“We want the public to understand that the person who committed these acts was not the man we knew,” the Shablykina family wrote. “Aleksandr was a man lost to a battle with bipolar disorder who had tragically ceased his medication shortly before this event. While we struggle with the horror of his actions, we must also highlight the profound gaps in our current systems.”

The family described Zoya as a “devoted mother” and a “deeply cherished grandmother.”

“To her daughter, Anastasiya, and her granddaughter, Anna, Zoya was a source of endless love and light,” the family wrote. “To our community, she was a kind soul who spent years trying to navigate the complexities of her son Aleksandr’s severe mental health crisis.”

Family calls state’s health care system ‘broken’

With Aleksandr Shablykina suffering from bipolar disorder, the family claimed the state failed to offer any “real” support.

“Despite our best efforts to seek help, we were met with a broken mental health care system that offered no real support for us or for him, ultimately leaving Alex in a car without the professional intervention he required,” the family statement read.

Additionally, the family pointed out the long wait time it took for authorities to arrive to respond to the violent mental health crisis.

“The 52-minute wait for a response from authorities during the crisis underscores a terrifying reality that no family should have to face,” the family stated. “We recognize the systemic challenges facing our responders, but we believe these delays and the lack of proactive care are symptoms of a framework that failed everyone involved that day.”

A community candlelight vigil will be held on Wednesday from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Skansie Brothers Park.

A GoFundMe page has been established to help support Zoya’s daughter and granddaughter.

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