Granite Falls mother enters plea in 2021 deadly shooting of 11-month-old daughter

GRANITE FALLS, Wash. — A Granite Falls mother is expected to enter her plea Tuesday in connection with the deadly shooting of her baby girl three years ago.

According to a press release from Renee Cooper, a public information officer with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, Arabella Watts, 28, is charged with first-degree manslaughter with a firearm - domestic violence and first-degree unsafe storage of a firearm - domestic violence after her 11-month-old daughter died in the 2021 shooting.

On Jan. 18, Snohomish County prosecutors filed charges against Watts and the father, Jesse Kitson, 33, regarding the deadly shooting. On Oct. 23, Kitson pled guilty to second-degree manslaughter with a firearm - domestic violence and unsafe storage of a firearm.

The girl died on Dec. 6, 2021, when she was shot at the family home in Granite Falls, Snohomish County deputies said.

Police were dispatched to report of a weapons assault in the 8600 block of State Route 92. When deputies arrived at the scene, they found the 11-month-old girl with a gunshot wound, officials said.

Deputies said the child was later pronounced dead.

Police said they believed both parents were home at the time of the shooting.

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit detectives referred this case to the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in November 2022.

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