Faircloth gets 6.5 years for stabbing, killing son

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man who stabbed and killed his son during an altercation in Moses Lake in January will be spending six and a half years in prison.

Jeffrey Faircloth, 53, of Moses Lake, previously entered a guilty plea in Grant County Superior Court to first-degree manslaughter – reckless in connection with the death of his son, Dakota Faircloth, 20, of Moses Lake. The charge carried with it a standard sentencing range of 78-102 months in prison. Following a joint recommendation between Deputy Prosecutor Mark Laiminger and defense attorney Stephen Kozer, Grant County Superior Court Judge John Antosz sentenced Faircloth to six and a half years in prison.

Faircloth was initially charged with second-degree assault, but the charge was amended after Dakota died from the stab wound he received from his father. The father and son got involved in an argument at a residence in the 1100 block of South Ashley Way on Jan. 21. At some point in the argument Dakota threw an object at his father, which hit him in the head. Jeffrey claimed it was then that he went to the kitchen to treat the wound and was followed by his son.

“In the kitchen Jeffrey obtained a knife, turned and Dakota lunged at him. Jeffrey struck Dakota cutting his throat,” wrote an officer. “Dakota turned and exited the residence and fell to the ground in the attached garage where he was eventually contacted by officers.”

Police and emergency personnel arrived at the scene and Dakota was transported to Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake for treatment. He was later transported to Confluence Health-Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee, where he died Jan. 23.

Jeffrey told police he grabbed the 10-inch kitchen knife to slash the tires on Dakota’s vehicle and it was never his intention to use the knife as a weapon against his son. In a letter Jeffrey submitted to the court, he again claimed what happened to his son was unintentional.

“Not a single day has gone by that I have not thought of Dakota since the day he was born. I raised him 13 years on my own and no matter the challenges we overcame them,” reads the letter. “I love my son. I would never intentionally hurt him. My heart aches knowing what has happened and that I will never be able to spend another day with him. I cry myself to sleep thinking about it. And I have to live this every day for the rest of my life.”

“If I could, I would turn back the hands of time.”

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.