SPOKANE, Wash. — A five-year-old girl who suffered multiple stab wounds in an attack that left her mother dead is off life support, according to an update from her grandmother shared with KREM 2's Amanda Roley.
Lilly has been hospitalized for nearly a month after the attack at her mother Kassie's home in North Spokane. Kassie was found dead from multiple stab wounds on April 11. KREM 2 is intentionally not sharing their last names to protect the child's privacy.
Spokane police identified 41-year-old Joshua Phillips, who had been in a relationship with Kassie, as the suspect in the attack. He was booked into the Spokane County Jail on April 18 on charges of second-degree murder and second-degree attempted murder. His bond was set at $1.5 million.
Court records indicate Phillips has a criminal history dating back to 2001, with charges including domestic violence, disorderly conduct and malicious mischief.
Lilly's uncle, Justin, said in a Facebook post on Thursday that Lilly is no longer relying on feeding tubes, IVs or a ventilator.
"She's up smiling, laughing, FaceTiming with all of us throughout the day and of course playing with all these sweet toys her Daddy has been bringing her!" the post reads in part.
Supporters have raised more than $131,000 on GoFundMe as of Thursday to help Lilly's family with the cost of her recovery.
Two of Kassie's other children arrived at her North Spokane home on the day of the attack after their father dropped them off, according to court records. The children then tried to enter the home but the doors were locked. They used a ladder and were able to climb through a window to enter the home.
The children noted that the home was in disarray when they entered and thought this was strange, court records say. They walked around to the location of the unattached garage and could hear a vehicle running inside. The children said they tried to break into the garage but were unable to do so and someone subsequently called 911.
The children told investigators that their mother had kicked Phillips out of her home two days earlier, according to court records.
Investigators also learned that Kassie had apparently received about 100 text messages from Phillips on Saturday, April 10, one day before her death. One of the investigators was told that some of the text messages sent by Phillips were “very disturbing.”