Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Dennison claims the victim was “the devil”
PULLMAN –– The Californian woman charged with stabbing a man and cutting a woman in a Williams Street apartment is set to be evaluated to determine if she is mentally competent to stand trial on Friday, September 22.
Tiffany Dennison, 29, was ordered to undergo a mental competency evaluation in Whitman County Superior Court. Court Commissioner Doug Robinson gave the defense and prosecution approval for mental competency testing.
Dennison is charged with two counts of 2nd-degree attempted murder for allegedly stabbing Hunter Degler and slashing his girlfriend Samantha Branch inside their College Hill apartment.
She reportedly attacked the man twice with a large kitchen knife, leaving him with a punctured lung. Dennison is also charged with felony assault for allegedly cutting Branch. At the same time, she tried to stop the attack and protect Degler, her boyfriend.
Dennison’s arraignment has been postponed until the mental competency evaluation is complete.
Dennison appeared in Whitman County Superior Court on Monday, September 11, to review charges. Dennison was arrested on various charges, including attempted 2nd-degree murder and 2nd-degree assault, as well as having weapons capable of producing bodily harm.
Reports state that on Saturday, September 9, at 8:55 a.m., Pullman Police Department received a call from Branch saying her boyfriend, Degler, had been stabbed in the back by Dennison.
Branch reportedly told dispatch that Dennison believed Degler was “the devil.”
Pullman Police Officer Alex Gordon responded to the scene. He observed Dennison holding an approximately 8-12” chef-style knife by the handle.
Reports further state that a toddler child was present in the apartment. Branch allegedly used a baby gate as an improvised shield to defend Degler from Dennison. As a result, Branch also received cuts to her right hand.
Degler states that he was asleep and woke up with intense pain in his back. He said that Dennison was above him and had stabbed him because she could not let the Devil raise the child.
Olivia Harnack is a Journalist at the Whitman County Gazette. Olivia is enrolled at University of Idaho and is majoring in digital film studies. She serves in the United States Army National Guard and is proud to serve Whitman County.
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