Medical examiner releases names of 5 killed in Key Peninsula stabbing spree, including suspect
Feb 27, 2026, 4:47 PM | Updated: 4:48 pm
Authorities investigate the scene after reports that a man fatally stabbed multiple people Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Gig Harbor, Wash. (Photo: John Froschauer, AP via KIRO 7)
(Photo: John Froschauer, AP via KIRO 7)
The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office has released the names of five people who were killed in a stabbing spree on Key Peninsula earlier this week, including the name of the suspect.
On Feb. 24, officers got a call around 8:45 a.m. that a 32-year-old man was violating a protection order outside of a home.
The sheriff’s office learned the protection order was not valid because it had not yet been served, but deputies obtained the order en route to the scene.
Dispatchers got a call around 9:30 a.m. that several people had been stabbed.
Authorities said three people were found dead at the scene, and the fourth victim later died on the way to the hospital, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
Those who were killed were:
- Joanne Brandani, 59
- Louise Talley, 81
- Stephanie Killilea, 67
- Zoya Shabilykina, 52
The suspect was officially identified as 32-year-old Aleksandr Shabilykin.
All of their manners of death were reported as homicide. The suspect was shot and killed by police who responded.
The suspect’s family members told KIRO 7 on Thursday that Shablykin was struggling with mental health and had stopped taking his prescribed medication prior to the attack.
Robert Knowles, the boyfriend of Shablykin’s sister, said the family had recognized warning signs on Monday evening and had attempted to involve the police before the suspect fled to his mother’s home.
Knowles said the situation began to escalate on Monday evening in Orting.
Knowles said the suspect’s sister, Anna, noticed immediate changes in her brother’s behavior.
“Became clear to me Monday evening that he was not he was not himself, and his sister identified it so fast. She knew, and she looked at me, and she said, ‘That’s not my brother, he has to go,’ so she called police, and they arrived really quick and when he knew they were coming, he grabbed his backpack and jumped in his car,” Knowles said.
Following the police call in Orting, Shablykin traveled to his mother Zoya’s home in Purdy.
“Got the call from Zoya early Tuesday morning and he’d locked her out of the house and was definitely in psychosis like he was previous,” Knowles said.
Records show the mother previously sought legal protection from her son. She filed multiple protection orders against him in 2020 and 2025.
In those reports, she stated that her son practiced witchcraft and insisted that she refer to him as a god.
Knowles described Shablykin as a generally kind person who was close to his niece, Anastasia, when he was consistent with his health care.
“He was on meds… he was a nice guy… he was very close with my daughter… his family loved him,” Knowles said. “There is no way I could have imagined that he was capable of what happened.”
