SEATTLE — A 75-year-old woman was severely injured Dec. 5 when a stranger attacked her with a board in front of the King County Courthouse.
Prosecutors say Fale Pea hit Jeanette Marken in the face with a piece of wood that had a screw sticking out of it at the corner of James St. and 3rd Ave.
The assault, which was caught on camera, left Marken with a broken nose and cheekbone and caused her to lose vision in her right eye.
Andrius Dyrikis, Marken’s son, said his mother has since been released from the hospital.
“You never expect something like this to happen,” Dyrikis said of the broad-daylight attack.
Despite the severity of her injuries, Dyrikis described his mother as a resilient person.
“She’s a warrior. She’s strong. But this is not something that everyone can go through,” he said.
Seattle police body camera footage shows that officers and paramedics arrived at the scene within minutes. Police arrested Pea nearby after witnesses confirmed he was the assailant.
Dyrikis said the family is grateful for those who helped his mother during the incident
“We have even teared up just knowing that thank God honestly, like there were good people there when it happened,” Dyrikis said.
The family has questioned how the attack was allowed to occur, given the suspect’s history.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says Pea was convicted of assault once in 2020, four times in 2023 and once in 2024.
Dyrikis noted that the situation felt preventable.
“This could have been avoided completely. And it shouldn’t have happened,” Dyrikis said.
Douglas Wagner, with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, addressed the relationship between past convictions and sentencing.
“So ultimately when you see someone with conviction history and they’ve been sentenced, those sentences are ultimately derived from our state laws,” Wagner said.
Dyrikis encouraged others to cherish their family members in the wake of the trauma.
“Just go hug them or tell them that you love them because you don’t know if you are going to have them tomorrow or the day after that,” Dyrikis said.
Pea remains in custody at the King County Jail. He is currently awaiting trial.
A GoFundMe has been created to help with medical expenses.