A Washington mother of two, who managed to escape being buried alive by her husband last month, was spotted doing Halloween shopping as her husband pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and kidnapping this week. 

The woman’s husband, Chae Kyong An, is facing several charges, including attempted murder, kidnapping and assault in the first degree.

Held without bail, the husband made his first court appearance via zoom in prison attire and only spoke to confirm his birth date. Although his lawyer, Patrick O’Connor, objected to the media being present during the hearing, the judge overruled him.

Young An, 42, was allegedly assaulted by her estranged husband on October 16, 2022, when he duct taped her hands and feet and dragged her from the house and into the woods. Despite being gagged and taped, she was able to call the police via her Apple Watch. She also sent emergency messages to her children and friend, signifying that she needed help.

The police responded to the 911 call that Sunday afternoon, but found that the couple had already left the house. The man took his wife into the woods, where he stabbed her several times and threw her into a shallow grave. He broke her Apple watch, which police later found in the house.

According to court documents, the couple was in the middle of a messy divorce. At some point, the wife had taken out a restraining order against the suspect, but a judge rescinded it before the attack happened.

Although they did not live together, it was normal for Chae Kyong An to drop by the house and do his laundry at least once a week. So, it was normal for his wife to find his car in the driveway that day when she and her kids got home from church.

Later, the victim told the police that they had started arguing about the divorce and finances, and it became very heated when her husband told her he would kill her before he ever gave her any of his retirement funds.

The woman told authorities that her husband bundled her up in a car, took her to a wooded area just seven miles from their home, stabbed her, and threw her in a hole about 19 inches deep. He threw dirt over her and covered the shallow grave with a tree.

She waited until it got dark before sneaking away from the grave and ran towards a house she saw when she got to the road, and asked the owner for help. Even though the resident did not let her in, they called 911, and a deputy from the Thurston County Sheriff’s office found her hiding in a shed just before 1 am on October 17.

Upon realizing the officer was law enforcement, the victim ran to him, screaming and crying for them to help her, saying her husband had tried to kill her.

The police found Chae Kyong An hiding in the woods about six hours later and arrested him. His next court appearance will be on November 16.