Seattle, WA: Kent woman accused in husband’s slaying Defendant: ‘I am so tired of him beating on me’

A Kent woman accused of killing her husband Friday has been charged with murder.
Filing charges Wednesday, King County prosecutors claim Janice M. Burrell admitted to killing Arthur Smith during an argument in a moving car, and remained entirely unrepentant hours after the slaying.
“Karma is a bitch and he got what he deserves,” Burrell told police, according to charging documents.

At 6:50 p.m., Kent police were called to the 200 block of North State Street following a report of a stabbing there. They arrived to find Burrell, 45, standing crying and confused in a parking lot. Smith was found dead in the backseat of a nearby car.

The first officer on the scene recognized Burrell from numerous prior contacts and asked her what she had done, a Kent detective told the court.
“You know me,” Burrell stammered to the officer, according to charging documents. “I killed him, I killed him. … I am so tired of him beating on me.”
The officer and a firefighter found that Smith, 41, had been stabbed in the center of his chest. Attempts to revive Smith were unsuccessful and he died at the scene.
A witness to the slaying said Burrell and Smith had been yelling at one another immediately before she stabbed Smith in the chest.
“They were arguing and she stated ‘I’m going to (expletive) kill him in front of you,’” the man told police, according to charging documents.
The man went on to say he was driving Burrell and Smith as they argued “about everything and nothing.” He said he wasn’t concerned as they often argued, though he recalled Burrell threatening to kill Smith.

While he was behind the wheel, he heard a slapping sound and looked in the rearview mirror to see Smith stiffen. Burrell then threatened to stab Smith again, according to charging documents, and continued berating him.
The man tried to drive Smith to a hospital but was unfamiliar with the area. He pulled into a clinic parking lot, where police and medics found Smith.
According to charging documents, the man described Burrell as “proud” of stabbing his uncle.
“He said she remained calm during the entire incident and puffed her chest out proudly,” the Kent detective told the court.
A second witness in the car confirmed much of the man’s account, the detective continued.
The detective noted that Burrell, who had been drinking all day, again admitted to killing Smith hours after her arrest. She allegedly claimed Smith threatened to kill her immediately before the stabbing.

Charged with second-degree murder, Burrell remains jailed on $1 million. Prosecutors note she has been convicted of assault three times, and been arrested on suspicion of the same crime several more.