Dayna Marie Fure, an 18-year-old female from Stanwood, Washington, had a promising future ahead of her. A senior at Stanwood High School with a 3.78 GPA, she had been accepted to Gonzaga University with plans to study law. She was an honor student, a four-year letter winner in cross-country, and had recently received multiple scholarships from local community organizations.
However, her life was tragically cut short on May 24, 2004.
In the months leading up to her death, Dayna had been living in fear of her 23-year-old ex-boyfriend, Mainor Mario Valentin of Seattle. After she ended their two-year, on-and-off relationship, Valentin began stalking and harassing her. The situation escalated on May 13, 2004, when Valentin confronted her at a nail salon, showed her a gun, and threatened to kill himself. Later that day, he was found in the parking lot of the assisted living facility where Dayna worked, again armed and threatening suicide. Police were called and, after a 90-minute negotiation, persuaded him to surrender. He was taken for a mental evaluation, and his gun was confiscated. The very next day, on her 18th birthday, Dayna obtained a protection order against Valentin.
Despite the court order, Valentin continued his pursuit. On Monday, May 24, 2004, Dayna did not attend school. Later that day, at approximately 5 p.m., her father discovered the bodies of both Dayna and Valentin in the family home. Investigators determined that Valentin had shot Dayna in the head before turning the gun on himself in a murder-suicide. There were no signs of a break-in, and it remains unclear how Valentin gained entry to the house. The weapon found at the scene was a. 357 Magnum handgun, a different gun than the one police had previously confiscated.
The tragedy deeply shook the Stanwood community, particularly the students and staff at Stanwood High School. In the aftermath, Dayna's parents filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Snohomish County, alleging that the Stanwood Police Department, which is staffed by county sheriff's deputies, failed to adequately protect their daughter. The lawsuit claimed that officers downplayed the threat Valentin posed and should have arrested him under the state's mandatory arrest law for domestic-violence assailants. In 2008, Snohomish County agreed to settle the lawsuit for over $1 million and committed to expanding domestic-violence training for its deputies.
