PORT TOWNSEND — Former Port Townsend resident Anna Young has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after she previously was found guilty of attacking her husband with a hatchet in 2021.
During a three-week trial, which took place in November in Jefferson County Superior Court, Young was found guilty of first-degree assault while armed with a deadly weapon.
Following her sentence, Young will have a 36-month probation period overseen by the state Department of Corrections. The court also imposed a lifetime no-contact order, prohibiting Young from making any contact with her husband.
“This was a horrific, unprovoked attack that endangered a life and caused permanent harm,” Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney James Kennedy stated in a news release. “The sentence ensures protection for the victim, protection for our community, and holds the defendant responsible for her actions. I am grateful for the efforts of Officer (Jon) Stuart, the Sheriff’s Office which assisted in the investigation, and all the hours of work that were put in by my prosecution team, led by Deputy Prosecutor Holly Graham.”
The conviction came after a domestic violence incident which took place on Nov. 2, 2021.
“The attack left the 70-year-old victim with life-altering injuries, including a skull fracture, deep lacerations to the back of his head, a severed ear, requiring plastic surgery, and a compound fracture in his middle finger — described by medical professionals as a classic defensive wound,” the news release stated. “Evidence showed the victim was struck with the blunt end of a hatchet approximately 20 times.”
Trial testimony and court documents showed the man had agreed to allow Young to keep $60,000 in her separate bank account. Shortly after the money was transferred into the account, Young transferred it to her family to purchase her mother a house.
When the man requested to see the account the day before the attack, Young said she would show it to him the following week.
The next morning, when the man awoke, Young told him he was “in a dream,” as she began assaulting him.
Young pursued the man from the bedroom to the kitchen as he attempted to flee. In the kitchen, he was able to temporarily subdue her by striking her in the head with a cast-iron skillet. He then escaped to the bathroom, but she continued to pursue him.
Eventually, the man fled to the garage, where he equipped himself with a hammer and his car keys before he drove to seek medical treatment at Jefferson Healthcare hospital.
Law enforcement received reports of a man brandishing a hammer, later identified as the victim, at 5:08 a.m. At 5:23 a.m., Jefferson Healthcare contacted law enforcement to report the incident as well.
The man was transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle to receive specialized treatment.
In a statement in court, the man thanked Deputy Jon Stuart of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the prosecution team for its perseverance in seeking justice, according to the news release.
“He described the ongoing impact of the assault, noting that he can no longer play the guitar due to the damage done to his fingers,” according to the news release. “(He) has required extensive therapy to cope with the physical and emotional aftermath.”
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Reporter Elijah Sussman can be reached by email at elijah.sussman@peninsuladailynews.com.
