The man in a drug-induced frenzy who police say they had to tackle as he tried to strangle and stab his boyfriend to death inside a Broadway apartment last Thursday night has been charged with attempted murder and assault, according to prosecutors.
Branden Miskell, 30, was arrested after police were able to stop the bloody attack just before midnight on January 11th. Police say the suspect admitted he was trying to kill his boyfriend.
Police at the scene said it appeared that Miskell was exhibiting signs of excited delirium, a condition of extreme agitation and physical aggression usually associated with heavy drug use. According to the charges, Miskell told police he had consumed “marijuana chocolate” prior to the attack:
According to police, the end of the assault was captured on video by the body cameras on the arriving officers.
The police report includes the victim’s account of his terrifying attempts to escape Miskell and call police:
The 29-year-old victim continues to recover from his injuries.
According to the police report on the incident, Miskell and the victim moved to Seattle together from Georgia and lived together in the third-floor Lyric building apartment where the attack unfolded.
King County prosecutors say Miskell has no significant criminal history.
Miskell has not yet entered a plea on the domestic violence charges. Prosecutors asked that he be held on $1 million bail.
The police report states that Miskell admitted he consumed “marijuana chocolate….an unknown oil from a dispensary…and a 10mg capsule (CBD)”. I don’t know what “CBD” is, but I would guess the “oil” was cannabis. Perhaps the “CBD” interacted negatively with the other two substances? Such an “excited delirium” reaction would be very uncommon with just marijuana ingestion, but if it happens it is of concern and brings up the question of exactly how safe marijuana is.
Bob,
CBD is a component of Marijuana and is the component that imparts medicinal benefits such as pain and stress relief. CBD doesn’t impart any psychoactive effects at all.
I’m not a doctor but the claim of “excited delirium” attributed to pot sounds dubious to me. Sounds less like pot and more like meth to me. But “I’m not a doctor, and I don’t play one on TV”.
Thanks, Jim. I don’t think the police attributed his delirium to pot….they just reported that he admitted pot use. I too am skeptical that his mental state was due to the pot. Perhaps he took some other drug (s) that he didn’t admit to the police. Or maybe he was just really, really angry and out of control. Regardless, he needs to be charged and be judged by a jury.
You’re totally right, thanks for pointing that out and reminding me not to assume anything. They never said that.
Not buying the weed excuse. Sounds like some PnP with meth got out of hand.
That’s what I thought too. You might admit to the cop you consumed (legal) weed but not as forthcoming that you also did meth, which isn’t. Sounds like pretty common meth behavior, but never heard of response like this to weed.
Just a guess, but I bet the attacker was white. How else can you explain the SPD not killing a knife wielding man, who was literally stabbing someone when they gained entry to the apartment? Charleena Lyles was shot in the back for simply holding a knife…
Same thoughts, Matthew. A pregnant and mentally-ill woman is shot and killed as she holds a knife after fearing a suspected break-in, meanwhile a man who is attempting murder and saying “I have to kill” you is able to stab a victim “6 to 8 more times”, require 5 officers to hold him, and will live to tell the story.
I’m not sure I agree. The officers may have been concerned about shooting the victim if they fired on his attacker. It’s easy to second guess the police, but you weren’t there, or responsible for saving the life of the victim.
Nice try Bob. The police didn’t seem to mind shooting Charleena while two of her kids crawled on the floor behind her.
The logistics of the two attacks are completely different, so your comparison is invalid. In the recent incident, the perp was all over the victim, stabbing him repeatedly, so there would have been a real risk of shooting the victim if the police went that route. I’m not saying the shooting of Charleena was justified, but she was standing alone as she was shot, and there was minimal risk to her children.
Meth Madness
Sure hope the BF is doing OK.
Pretty amazing, isn’t it, that of all the comments on both CHS posts about this attack, this is the only one expressing concern and maybe even compassion for the victim?
Domestic violence is freakin’ scary, because we usually don’t see it or hear about it until things get this bad.
Hoping the victim here heals physically and can find support to start healing emotionally. At least he’s in a city that’s more likely than most to have resources for survivors of same-sex intimate partner violence.
One thing to consider to that this isn’t drug related. This was a simple domestic violence situation. There are some seriously sick (without the use of drugs) people out there (both gay and straight) that mentally, physically and emotionally abuse their spouses. The more logical perspective is that the partner was a controlling a-hole that didn’t like something his bf was saying, doing or just existing and went crazy on him.
I’m a survivor of a gay domestic abuse situation and it occurs more than anyone likes to admit. We need to stand up against abuse and help those that are in these situations to get free and be safe. Who knew. Maybe this crazy bf would have tracked down and killed his bf even if he left. I’m serious, there are some crazy controlling MF out there.
This guy was actively stabbing someone after kicking a hole in a door to get at them, while being told to stop yet still stabbing…and police tackled him? But Charleena Lyles is killed in front of her children while not stabbing anyone? Can folks see why people believe that white suspects are treated differently?
The original report, published in CHS print edition, indicated 1 outstanding officer on scene who witnessed the stabbing in real time and was able to disarm this attempted murderer and save the victims life. Why did Charleena Lyles have to die?