Teen Stabs Man to Death While Protecting Uncle, Finds Out Afterward That Man Is His Father

Ralph Paputsakis01.jpg
It was dark. Two men were fighting in the driveway. One of them had a crowbar.

Thinking fast, a 17-year-old boy--the nephew of the man without the crowbar--grabbed a knife and ran outside to protect his uncle.

Shortly afterward, when the assailant lay dying from nine stab wounds delivered by the teen, a rather shocking realization set in.

The soon-to-be-dead man was the boy's father.

The bizarre and bloody event happened on Friday night in Edgewood, Wash.

According to various media reports, the man who died, 47-year-old Ralph Paputsakis, had shown up at the house unexpectedly and been greeted by his 46-year-old brother.

The two men supposedly began fighting immediately, with Paputsakis raining down blows on his brother with the crowbar.

Apparently unaware that the attacker was at all related to him (much less his father), the boy ran out to defend his uncle and stabbed his assailant nine times with a knife.

Paputsakis died later after being transported to Harborview Hospital. His brother is still in the hospital recovering from crowbar wounds.

The son has not been charged with any crime, as deputies are saying he acted in defense of his uncle.

Paputsakis has been estranged from his family for some time and apparently had little to no relationship with his son. Deputies believe Paputsakis came to the house with the direct intention of harming people. His bringing a crowbar along with him would certainly support that assumption, though it's unclear how quickly the fight started and if his beef was specifically with his brother or with other members of the family as well.

Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist will have final say in whether the boy is charged with any crime. But from the sound of the scenario, the boy's uncle is very lucky to have had his nephew around.

Follow The Daily Weekly on Facebook and Twitter.

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Weekly Newsletter: Our weekly feature stories, movie reviews, calendar picks and more - minus the newsprint and sent directly to your inbox.

Privacy Policy
Sign up for free stuff, news info & more!

Tools

Fashion

Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places

    Voice Places

    Discover restaurants, nightlife, travel, shopping...

  • VOICE Daily Deals

    VOICE Daily Deals

    Get 50 to 90% off every day on restaurants, movies, massages...

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    More than 10,000 of the BEST things to eat, drink, and experience

  • My Voice Nation

    My Voice Nation

    Join the Village Voice community and get exclusive deals and info

  • Happy Hour

    Happy Hour

    Your local Happy Hour guide at your fingertips

or

Log in or Sign up

Social Connect:

Use your favorite account to access My Voice Nation.


Use your My Voice Nation account to log in:





Forgot password?
or

Sign Up or Log in

Social Connect:

Sign up for My Voice Nation with your preferred network.


Sign up for a My Voice Nation account:



Privacy policy