GRANITE FALLS, Wash. — The parents of an infant who was killed in an accidental shooting in 2021 entered guilty pleas in connection to the incident.
On Tuesday, the mother, 26-year-old Arabella Watts, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter with a firearm. The 1-year-old's father, 33-year-old Jesse Kitson, pleaded guilty to the same charge last month, as well as first-degree unsafe storage of a firearm. All charges are listed in a domestic violence context.
Both parents face up to 10 years in prison, but have not yet been sentenced. Kitson's sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 15, 2025.
The shooting happened Dec. 6, 2021. First responders arrived at the family's Granite Falls home shortly after the 911 call and tried to save the baby but couldn't.
According to court documents, Kitson placed his loaded and holstered .45 caliber revolver on the coffee table in front of his sofa, where his 1-year-old daughter and Watts were sitting. At some point, the gun fell off the coffee table and fired after hitting the ground. The bullet traveled through the holster and hit the child.
Watts and Kitson were both initially charged with first-degree manslaughter in a domestic violence context in January of this year. They pleaded not guilty to those charges.
KING 5's Alex Didion contributed to this report.
