Ballard man, 74, kills woman, then jumps to his death

By Seattle Times staff

In what police are saying was a murder-suicide, a 74-year-old man beat a woman to death with a hammer and then jumped to his death from an apartment building Thursday night in Ballard.

The unidentified man, who has the same last name as the woman, apparently beat her to death before taking his own life, said Seattle Police spokeswoman Renee Witt.

Police were called to the apartment building in the 2400 block of Northwest 57th Street about 10:45 p.m. after there were reports of a disturbance. Police found the woman who had been beaten with a hammer. She was taken to Harborview Medical Center, where she died.

As officers were checking the apartment they noticed broken windows on the south wall of the apartment. When they looked out, they saw the man on the ground.

Police are looking for witnesses, but say the evidence at the scene leads them to believe it was a murder-suicide.

From: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011976439_twodead29m.html?prmid=related_stories_section