Seattle – Prosecutors say a plea deal is being discussed for Jibri Kambui, the man accused of attacking a shop owner on Father’s Day in Queen Anne, and prior to that attacking his ex-girlfriend, Sunshie Tracht, at the apartment they shared that same morning.
Family members say after the assault on Sunshine, she was left with serious injuries. She died about three months later, though it’s unclear if her death was related to the assault.
“Her hair was the color of sunshine, she was happy, she just lit up a room,” said Kelly Tweedell, Sunshine’s Mom.
Like her namesake, family and friends say she brought plenty of it into their lives.
“She was just so happy, such a happy, loving person,” said Dasia Bills, a family friend.
“She was definitely one of my best friends when I was a kid,” said her brother, Robert Woods.
The family says a darkness fell on the 24-year-old, following the assault June 15th. Her injuries were so severe, FOX 13 had to blur the photos.
Court documents described the brutal attack on Sunshine in the apartment Jibri shared with her, before he walked around the block and was accused of attacking the business owner near the corner of Queen Anne Avenue North and W Roy.
Court papers state that Jibri Kambui and Sunshine had “eaten mushroom gummies” and at some point afterward, Jibri appeared to have “a psychotic episode.”
Seattle Police investigators reported that he, “attacked Sunshine by hitting her in the head multiple times with a Skyy Vodka bottle.”
This picture was included in court documents below.
Court documents also say he, “then twisted her head with extreme force leading Sunshine to believe he was trying to twist her head off….tried to stab her in the eyes so she couldn’t see…stomped on her, kicked her in the ribs, threw her into things, and twisted her arm in an effort to break it. Sunshine eventually escaped and ran out of the apartment.”
This photo included in court documents shows what her injuries looked like after first responders arrived.
“When I first walked in the hospital and saw her, I thought she was dead. I said ‘Oh my gosh’, and she answered me. I’m like, ‘Oh you are alive’, and she said ‘yeah’. Then she told me what happened, and I just lost it.,” said Kelly.
Police say Jibri was then caught on camera going after motorists and assaulting The Uncommon Cottage owner, Jennafah Dawn Singer, who told us in a previous interview he was trying to gouge her eyes out.
He was caught on video grabbing the face of the shop owner at The Uncommon Cottage as she set up a table outside of her shop during that assault.
“He pushed his fingers actually into, to gut out my eyes,” Dawn told us in the interview.
She also told us if bystanders didn’t step in to pull him off of her, she thought he would kill her. He was also accused of biting the hand of an artist who stepped in to help her. Dawn has since closed her shop at the Queen Anne location, in part due to the assault.
Family members say Sunshine was also having a tough time afterward.
“She was crying, saying, ‘Mom, why did he do this to me. Why did he do this to me? I’m never going to be normal again’, said Kelly.
She says her daughter, Sunshine died September 13th. She said she was sleeping in the same bed as Sunshine and she heard a ‘loud noise’. When she checked on her, found her on the floor.
“Paramedics were there within minutes, and they worked on her for over an hour, and they got a pulse, but they didn’t get a heartbeat,” said Kelly.
The family says they are frustrated with state sentencing parameters, which prosecutors say allow for 12–14 months on the high end for Jibri’s initial assault charge from Sunshine’s case.
Although a plea deal has been discussed for the assault, the prosecutor’s office says it hasn’t happened yet.
“He’s been charged with multiple different crimes. And prosecutors are working to resolve it,” said Casey McNerthney, spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
As for her death in September, SPD says domestic violence officers with SPD say the Pierce County Medical Examiner is doing testing to determine how she died. If her death is ruled a homicide, SPD detectives will be assigned.
“We don’t have that evidence from Seattle police yet, but if we do, of course we will look at it,” said McNerthney.
The family says they’ll continue to advocate for Sunshine as she can no longer speak for herself.
“It’s about what the family wants and right now what we want is justice for our kid,” said Woods.
“I don’t want anyone to go through what me and my family went through. My daughter is 24 years old, and now she’s dead,” said Kelly.
An online fundraiser has been started to help the family pay for Sunshine’s funeral expenses.
