SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. – A man facing attempted murder charges stemming from a domestic violence situation moved into Spokane County Superior Court Friday.
Vladimir Pavlik, 60, is charged with first degree attempted murder-DV after allegedly beating his wife and cutting out her tongue.
A translator testified that Pavlik told him in Russian that he had been married to his wife for eight years. The translator said Pavlik admitted to beating his wife with a tire iron on Oct. 5 until she was motionless on their dining room floor.
Pavlik told the translator he dropped the tire iron on the floor, went to the kitchen for a knife, opened the victim’s mouth and cut out her tongue, according to court documents.
The victim is still recovering in a Spokane hospital, listed in satisfactory condition.
Pavlik explained to the translator that his wife had been using her “tongue from Satan” or her “devil’s tongue” to curse him. Pavlik told the translator, according to court documents, he had ill will towards the victim because he believed she did not do her fair share of work as part of their janitorial business. Pavlik said to the translator that he did what he did as a sign to other women that they needed to not mock men the way that the victim had been mocking him.
The suspect said he called the victim’s adult son and his own niece to tell them what he had done, and then called 911.
Court documents show the 911 dispatcher reported Pavlik had an obvious language barrier when he called to report the crime, but “was calm” and “did not seem in distress.” He also hung up on the call taker, according to court documents.
When police arrived at the scene, Pavlik answered the door wearing a blood-stained sweatsuit, officers said. Police said they quickly entered the home on East Alki Avenue and North Bates Road and found the victim on the floor, covered in blood.
A doctor testified the victim had multiple skull fractures, two arterial bleeds in her head and neck area, a hematoma within her skull, blunt force trauma to her left eye and multiple bruises on the left side of her body, in addition to her tongue being cut out. He said the damage to her tongue was too severe for them to be able to re-attach the severed portions.
The victim advocate said the family reported Pavlik has been violent in the past and beat his wife with a tire iron four or five years ago, causing her severe head trauma. They said she did not report the incident because Pavlik threatened to kill her two children and do worse to her.
An arraignment date for Pavlik has not been set yet. Pavlik will remain in the Spokane County Jail on a $1 million dollar bond.
