Robert Child has been charged with murder and burglary following a double homicide in Hoodsport, Washington, in which he has been accused of killing his estranged wife, Anna Child, and her boyfriend, Jason Hilde, just one day after Anna was granted a protection order against Robert.
A Mason County judge approved the protection order on Monday, March 23, and Anna and Hilde, both 46, were killed shortly after on Tuesday, March 24.
Neighbor Caleb McGill told King 5 that he heard the sound of gunshots coming from the former couple’s home on the afternoon of March 24. “Really gruesome, most gruesome thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve never experienced anything like that,” McGill said.
McGill then called 911 and headed to the home, where he said he saw Robert, 60, fleeing the scene.
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“I said, ‘Rob, what the [expletive] did you do?’ And he said, ‘Dude, they pointed a gun at me, and I killed them,’” McGill recalled while confronting Robert.
A manhunt was then launched for Robert and lasted about 24 hours before Mason County deputies received a tip that helped them locate him, and he was arrested.
Anna filed a protection order petition earlier in March and wrote that she did not feel safe, according to court documents viewed by the outlet. She also claimed that Robert considered her a possession and said he had “told me if he can’t have me no one will.”
Following his arrest, Robert attended his first court appearance and learned he was being held on $5 million bail. It is not currently clear if he has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following his arrest.
If Robert is able to bail himself out of custody, he will have to remain in the state and will not be allowed to contact the victims’ families.
Several of Anna’s friends attended the hearing, with Erica Christiansen telling King 5 that she worried something like this would happen.
“We’re like, what’s it going to take to get your guys’ attention? Is it going to take a bullet in the head to get your attention? And obviously, that’s what it took. And now she’s gone, and Jason is gone,” she said.
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Christiansen also admitted it was difficult to attend the court appearance.
“It was very hard to look at him. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him, and the emotions and thoughts that were running through my head were not nice, and I pray that he does not get out,” Christiansen said.
Details about Anna and Hilde’s relationship are not currently known, while it’s also not clear when Anna and Robert separated.
The Mason County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment regarding the case.
