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Nicholas Well, about 30, and Rosario Lopez-Castro, about 29, were charged in Clallam County after DoorDash driver Melvin Swagerty, about 60, was stabbed multiple times after offering their family a ride near Sequim on October 19, 2025.

Swagerty, of Port Angeles, was working a DoorDash route that evening. He was also described as a Special Olympics athlete in the local community. He encountered the couple, who were strangers to him, walking with their seven children, whose ages were reported as 6 months to 9 years, along U.S. Highway 101 near Deer Park Road in Clallam County. Swagerty stopped because the family appeared stranded at night. Deputies had contacted the couple earlier that day over a disturbance in Sequim, and Well had been booked and released after a reckless-driving stop in Port Angeles.

Prosecutors allege an altercation occurred after the family entered Swagerty's blue Lexus RX300 and continued toward Carlsborg Road. Swagerty was stabbed multiple times in the neck, face, head, chest and other areas, then ended up on the roadway while the vehicle left with the children inside. Witnesses called 911 about 8:10 p.m. after seeing a man come out of a vehicle on the 260 block of Carlsborg Road.

Prosecutors describe the case as the robbery of a Good Samaritan, alleging the motive was to take Swagerty's vehicle and flee rather than a personal dispute. In later interviews, Swagerty said he heard Lopez-Castro say words to the effect of "now, now, now" just before the stabbing. Investigators alleged she was complicit rather than a bystander. Those are allegations, not findings by a jury.

Bystanders helped Swagerty until medics arrived. He was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, underwent emergency surgery and was discharged about two nights later. He later said doctors revived him during surgery. Well is alleged to have driven away in the Lexus, which was found hours later in Kitsap County.

At about 4:57 to 5:00 a.m. on October 20, Kitsap County deputies found Well in the driver's seat, Lopez-Castro in the passenger seat and the seven children in the vehicle. Both adults were described as passed out or unresponsive. The children, who were not properly restrained and reportedly lacked car seats or safe seating, were removed and placed in protective custody/CPS. Investigators reported blood in the driver's-seat area and recovered a bloody knife from Well's pocket. The vehicle was confirmed stolen and registered to Swagerty.

Witnesses on Carlsborg Road reported seeing a fight inside the car and a man fall or come out the driver's side as the vehicle fled. Swagerty initially could say little, but told responders he had offered a ride to a family with many children. The defendants were first booked in Kitsap County on possession of a stolen vehicle and reckless endangerment - domestic violence, tied to the children in the car. Clallam County later obtained warrants for attempted murder in the second degree, robbery in the first degree and theft of a motor vehicle, with a deadly-weapon enhancement and Good Samaritan aggravator. They also faced separate Kitsap charges for a stolen vehicle and reckless endangerment.

A six-day trial originally scheduled for mid-January 2026 was continued in December 2025. On January 16, 2026, defense attorneys sought another reset because of expert reports and other trial conflicts. Judge Simon Barnhart set a further reset hearing for February 27, 2026. Both defendants were held on $750,000 bond in Clallam County Jail as of that reporting. No verdicts or sentences had been publicly reported as of August 2026.

The video is an approximately 81-minute police interview-room recording. It shows the interview itself, without narration or a presenter.

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Rosario Lopez-Castro pleaded not guilty to attempted second-degree murder, first-degree robbery and theft of a motor vehicle in the October 2025 attack on DoorDash driver Melvin Swagerty in Clallam County, Washington. The charges, the same as those filed against her partner, Well, included a deadly-weapon enhancement and a Good Samaritan aggravator.

After the family got into Swagerty's vehicle, they drove toward Sequim. An altercation occurred inside the car around 8:10 p.m. in the 260 block area of Carlsborg Road. Swagerty was stabbed and ended up outside the vehicle. The Lexus left with Lopez-Castro, Well and the seven children inside. Prosecutors and investigators alleged Lopez-Castro was complicit in the stabbing and the taking of the vehicle.

Hours later, early Oct. 20, Kitsap County deputies found the stolen Lexus parked in the middle of a road near Port Orchard. Lopez-Castro was in the front passenger seat and Well was in the driver's seat. Both were described as passed out. The children were still inside, and some lacked proper clothing or car seats.

Investigators recovered a bloody knife from Well's pocket and found significant blood in the driver's area. The Clallam County Sheriff's Office said investigators determined Lopez-Castro was complicit in the stabbing. According to an attributed statement from court-document reporting, she told detectives that the pair were paranoid people were after them and wanted to kill their family because Well knew the location of a "secret biker dope recipe." They believed Swagerty was working with that group.

Lopez-Castro and Well were arrested on Kitsap County charges of possession of a stolen motor vehicle and reckless endangerment (domestic violence). Her initial Kitsap bail was $100,000, compared with $500,000 for Well. All seven children were taken into protective custody and referred to Child Protective Services. No-contact orders protected Swagerty and the children. Lopez-Castro was present when the orders involving the children were issued, and coverage described her as distraught.

She was transferred to the Clallam County Jail and made her first Clallam court appearance in mid-November 2025. Bail was set at $750,000, and Alex Stalker was assigned as counsel. Lopez-Castro entered her not guilty plea on Nov. 14, 2025. As of Jan. 26, 2026, she remained held on $750,000 bond. A six-day joint trial with Well, initially set for Jan. 12, 2026, was continued after her attorney said he needed his own expert, separate from Well's, and asked to reset the trial. Judge Simon Barnhart scheduled a reset hearing for Feb. 27, 2026. No verdict or sentence had been publicly reported as of the latest available coverage in January 2026.

The video is one of two recorded police interviews in the case and shows Lopez-Castro's interview in the interview room. It runs about 62 minutes and contains the interview itself, without narration or a presenter.