Kaylynn Blue tried to run as boyfriend stabbed her to death, court documents reveal
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EDITOR’S WARNING: This story contains graphic details that are disturbing. Reader discretion is advised.
IDAHO FALLS — Kaylynn Blue was stabbed in her neck as she slept early Sunday morning, and then, as she tried to run away, Philip Michael Schwab continued to stab her, according to newly released court documents obtained by EastIdahoNews.com.
The documents provide a timeline of events leading up to and following the killing, based on detective interviews with Schwab. The 33-year-old is accused of killing 33-year-old Blue, his longtime girlfriend.
Schwab told detectives that days before the stabbing, he had placed a knife in a dresser drawer.
Detectives noted that on Saturday, Schwab was posting disturbing things on Facebook, most notably one post that read “If stabbing someone is wrong, I don’t want to be right” around 6:30 p.m. It was one of hundreds posted over the weekend from Friday through Monday. Many of the posts talk about violent behavior.
RELATED: Man accused of murder had hundreds of disturbing posts on his Facebook page
Police say about six hours later, around 12:30 a.m., they were lying in their bed. Blue was asleep.
“Philip said that Kaylynn often thrashes around in her sleep. On this night, she thrashed around and was accidentally hitting Philip in her sleep,” court documents say.
At that point, Schwab disclosed that he got out of bed, retrieved the knife and stabbed Blue in the neck. She awoke and tried to fight him off. As he continued stabbing, she ran from the bedroom into the hallway and into the bathroom.
Schwab told detectives he continued the knife attack until he killed her.
Afterward, he turned on a hose to soften the ground in the backyard, then dragged the body outside and buried her in a flowerbed, according to court documents.
Idaho Falls Police Chief Bryce Johnson said after Schwab buried Blue, he also stabbed two dogs to death and put them in a garbage bin in the garage.
Blue missed several shifts at work, and no one could get a hold of her. Her co-workers at Walgreens alerted family members, who requested police do a welfare check.
Officers arrived on the 3000 block of Thayer Bridge Circle around 9 a.m. Monday morning. Schwab answered the door and let them inside.
“The officers noticed some blood (in the house) and thought there might be a more serious crime scene,” Johnson told EastIdahoNews.com. “They knew pretty quickly it was more than your standard check for welfare.”
Schwab told the officers he might have hurt Blue and then directed them to the backyard, where he said he had buried her.
At that point, officers placed Schwab in handcuffs and read him his Miranda rights. Court documents show Schwab admitted he had stabbed and killed Blue.
Officers observed a recently dug shallow grave in the backyard. Blue’s face was still visible above the dirt, and detectives noted cuts on her face and neck.
Shortly after, the home and nearby roads were cordoned off as officers began investigations. Detectives searched the house for several hours and, according to court documents, found evidence confirming statements Schwab made to investigators.
Blue’s body was removed from the home Monday afternoon. Schwab was booked into the Bonneville County Jail on Monday evening and charged with first-degree murder.
Schwab was arraigned in court Tuesday afternoon via video conference from the jail. Schwab told Magistrate Judge Steven Gardner that he intended to plead no contest, and he was unable to answer whether he had an attorney.
Gardner appointed John Thomas as Schwab’s public defender.
Schwab is being held without bond, and his next court date is scheduled for July 9.
If convicted Schwab could face the death penalty or up to life in prison.