According to law enforcement and court filings, a 38-year-old man attacked his father with a kitchen knife in an East Central Spokane apartment and confessed to loved ones before being apprehended near Interstate 90, where he prompted a SWAT standoff and road closure.
Damian C. Eiffert was arrested on Wednesday and charged with second-degree murder in the death of his father, Robert Eiffert. Court filings did not specify the father’s age.
Damian Eiffert, dressed in light green Spokane County Jail inmate garb, made his initial appearance in Spokane County District Court on Friday when Judge Andrew Biviano set his bond at $2 million.
Spokane County Deputy Prosecutor Jonathan Degen informed the court that Damian Eiffert had eight felony convictions, ten adult misdemeanors, and 40 failures to appear in court. Prior to being detained on charges of murder, he was wanted on two warrants, according to Degen.
According to court filings, neighbors discovered Robert Eiffert lying in the doorway of an apartment building at 29 S. Thor St. around 2:40 p.m.
One neighbor informed authorities that he discovered Robert Eiffert “cut up,” not breathing, and lying at the doorway. Another witness claimed he saw Robert Eiffert lying on the front porch and that Damian Eiffert fled the house, hopped over Robert Eiffert’s bloody body, and drove away in the father’s automobile.
Robert Eiffert died in the home.
Damian Eiffert’s mother, Raeline Eiffert, informed police that she received a phone call from her son at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday. According to the docs, she described him as “amped up and all over the place” during the phone call. He told her that he had asked his father for a ride to treatment, but he declined. Damian Eiffert acknowledged to using methamphetamine and becoming incredibly high while simultaneously suffering from opioid withdrawal, according to records.
Damian Eiffert informed his mother he couldn’t take his father anymore and stabbed him to death, according to authorities.
According to court records, police reported that the father was stabbed in the neck, head, and chest.
Detectives inspected the house and discovered a blood trail leading from the building’s entryway, where Robert Eiffert was discovered, to an apartment recliner. According to records, police believe the assault began while Robert Eiffert was seated in the recliner.
A steak knife lay on the living room floor in front of the recliner. The living area table was covered in drugs and paraphernalia.
Damian Eiffert’s ex-girlfriend informed police Damian Eiffert lived with his father on Thor Street. She received a call from Damian Eiffert on his father’s phone Tuesday afternoon, stating that he was outside her house, waiting in the alley.
She met him in the alley and noticed he was driving his father’s automobile, which puzzled her because his father would never allow him to drive his car, she informed the police. She said Damian Eiffert came out of the car, hugged her, and said, “I love you… “I just killed my father.” He then got into his car and went.
She and Damian Eiffert later met outside a residence in the Bemiss Neighborhood, where Damian Eiffert had left his father’s car. He got into a car with her and a companion and told her again that he had stabbed his father, she told police. She also overheard Damian Eiffert, who she said had blood on his hand, telling a friend on the phone that he had killed his father.
Officers responded to the Bemiss residence on North Altamont Street and spotted the father’s Nissan Altima. Police discovered what seemed to be blood smears on the car’s driver’s seat, according to records.
At around 7:50 a.m. Wednesday, Washington State Patrol troopers discovered a stolen vehicle on the side of Interstate 90 that was out of gas. Damian Eiffert, the lone person inside, refused to surrender or cooperate, according to court papers. A standoff between WSP and the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office lasted until around 9:10 a.m.
Damian Eiffert attempted to flee before he was arrested.
He confirmed to authorities Thursday in an interview room that he was at his father’s residence on Tuesday. Damian Eiffert told police that they got into a disagreement because his father was going to give his friend a ride to Kellogg but refused to give him a ride across town to treatment.
He wanted to see an attorney before answering any further questions.
Damian Eiffert told KHQ in a jail interview that he didn’t remember what happened on Tuesday and did not commit the crime. He claimed his last clear memory was being attacked by a police K-9 unit and being taken to the hospital with injuries.
He remained in custody Friday and declined to speak with The Spokesman-Review.
