KIRKLAND, Wash. — The killer of a Kirkland mother who predicted her own death learned his fate Friday.
It was a stunning pronouncement about a man already found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend, a mother of four, including his young son.
"I'm convinced beyond any question in my own mind," said King County Superior Court Judge Catherine Shaffer, "that Mr. Cushman is guilty of this murder."
Judge Shaffer said she has met many domestic violence abusers but rarely one whose victim predicted her own demise.
"I think that Mr. Cushman assaulted her and Amy tried to photograph it," she said. "But the selfie that she took on her phone, which was probably the last time she herself touched that telephone. And then I think it turned into physical violence. And Mr. Cushman crushed her on the bed and took her life away."
When 28-year-old Amy Hargrove sought an order for protection against Burrell Michael Cushman, she foresaw her murder. "A piece of paper isn't going to save my life when he finally gets me," she wrote. "But at least you will know who killed me."
Indeed, Cushman worked to cover up his crime, even trying to set fire to the house where he killed Hargrove in 2014.
At times, Hargrove's mother seemed nearly inconsolable. Surrounded by loved ones, she listened as her daughter's killer once again protested his innocence.
"I, I don't know what to say," Cushman stammered. "I loved Amy. She loved me."
But the judge declared him a cruel murderer.
"So I'm imposing 275 months on the murder in the second degree charge," said Judge Shaffer, "which is the top of the range."
In other words, nearly 23 years in prison. She also said he can have no contact with his young son.
Cox Media Group
