A Washington woman who prosecutors say plotted to kill her ex-boyfriend has been sentenced to time behind bars and years of supervision, with a lengthy no-contact order attached.
Trinity Morley, 20, pleaded guilty last month to first-degree attempted assault with a domestic violence modifier over a scheme to shoot her former boyfriend. Her parents uncovered the plot after finding a journal detailing her intentions, which led to her arrest in July 2025. They had gone into their then-teenage daughter’s room after she left home on the night of July 27, 2025, claiming she was heading out to “graffiti houses.” Prosecutors say her real intentions were far darker.
That same night, the father of Morley’s ex-boyfriend dialed 911 after spotting “a female standing in his backyard with a rifle dressed in all black and wearing a ski mask.” That woman turned out to be Morley.
Morley’s own parents also contacted police that night to report their daughter’s actions. They had already sought an extreme risk protection order against her a week earlier, worried about her mental health history, which court records reviewed by Law&Crime show included hospitalization following self-harm episodes and a suicide attempt.
Investigators say the journal her parents discovered included Morley’s own account of preparing for the attack: “I have the gun now, three rounds of slug of buckshot. The shotgun is heavy. He told me that if I don’t hold it right, my arm will get blown off. I have 3 chances to get this right and I don’t want to resort to the knives.”
Unable to buy a firearm immediately because of the state’s mandatory waiting period, Morley instead obtained a shotgun from her then-boyfriend, telling him she was receiving “threatening texts” and needed it for protection.
After leaving her ex-boyfriend’s property, Morley was tracked by sheriff’s deputies to a nearby dock, where she reportedly said she was “suicidal” and pressed the shotgun to her chin. Following a tense standoff, she set down the gun and a knife she was carrying and was taken into custody without further incident.
Once deputies advised her of her rights, Morley reportedly acknowledged that her plan had been to kill her ex-boyfriend before turning the weapon on herself, according to court documents. Prosecutors noted that despite claiming to be suicidal earlier, she was later observed “smiling, rolling her eyes, and even chuckling” as deputies processed her arrest.
More from Law&Crime: ‘I don’t want to resort to the knives’: Parents called 911 after finding out teen daughter’s ‘sinister plan’ to kill her ex-boyfriend, prosecutors say
Morley had alleged that her ex-boyfriend sexually assaulted her, but no charges were ever filed. Prosecutors said detectives closed that investigation after concluding the allegations were “unfounded.”
On Friday, Morley was sentenced to 17 months in prison, to be followed by 36 months of supervised release. A judge also ordered her to have no contact with her ex-boyfriend for the next 10 years.
