SPOKANE, Wash. — A Spokane Tribal Member was found guilty after he assaulted his partner with a knife and attempted to suffocate her, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington confirmed.
According to the attorney’s office, 40-year-old Marvin Samson Butterfly was reported for domestic assault on Sept. 16, 2023. Officers with the Spokane Tribal Police Department were called to a home in Ford after Butterfly was reported stabbing floors, doors and furniture with a long knife.
The attorney’s office said Butterfly held the knife to the victim’s throat and said, “This is how you kill someone.” The victim told police Butterfly then pushed her down and forced his hand over her mouth, trying to suffocate her. The victim was able to pry his hand off her face, and he left the home in her car.
Police found Butterfly the next day asleep in the vehicle and was booked into the Spokane County Jail.
On Nov. 2, 2023, Butterfly called his neighbor from jail. According to the attorney’s office, Butterfly made several statements he didn’t want the victim to testify in court. He encouraged his neighbor to tell the victim he would be coming home if she did not speak to investigators.
Butterfly will be sentenced on July 10.
“Everyone deserves to live in a safe home free of violence. Native Americans experience some of the highest rates of violence in the country, a situation that is more tragic in light of the generations of trauma already suffered by Indigenous people, especially Native American women,” U.S. Attorney Waldref said. “By working with our tribal and federal law enforcement partners, we can continue to build trust and foster safer and stronger communities on Tribal lands and throughout Eastern Washington.”
