(José Niño, Headline USA) A Seattle grandmother has been permanently blinded in one eye following a vicious unprovoked assault by a man authorities describe as a habitual violent offender.
According to a report by the Daily Mail, Jeanette Marken, 75, suffered devastating facial injuries when struck with a nail-studded wooden plank in a random daytime attack, allegedly carried out by Fale Vaigalepa Pea, 42. A protruding screw from the makeshift weapon destroyed Marken’s right eye, and medical professionals have confirmed the damage is irreversible despite multiple surgical interventions, family members told KOMO.
“To take a wood club with nails and hit her at full force in the face? I don’t understand it,” Marken’s son Andrius Dyrikis told the outlet.
Surveillance video captured the shocking assault as Marken approached a street corner intersection. The footage shows Pea approaching from behind before delivering the devastating blow that knocked the elderly woman to the pavement.
A witness quickly photographed the attacker before rushing to assist the injured woman. That bystander subsequently directed a King County Sheriff’s deputy to the suspect, leading to Pea’s apprehension near the crime scene.
🇺🇸 THIS IS WHAT “JUSTICE REFORM” LOOKS LIKE: VIOLENT FELON BLINDS 75-YEAR-OLD WOMAN
75-year-old Jeanette Marken was standing outside the King County Courthouse – right in front of the justice system – when a known violent offender walked up and drove a screw through her eye.… pic.twitter.com/jdPmjkFqS5
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) December 21, 2025
Body camera recordings from the arrest reveal a troubling detail: responding Seattle police officers immediately recognized the suspect. “He’s notorious for random assaults,” one officer stated upon encountering Pea.
When a paramedic inquired about the suspect’s identity, asking “Who is this guy?” the officer’s response painted a disturbing picture.
“He’s a regular. He usually punches,” the officer responds. “I guess today he decided to escalate from his usual.”
KOMO’s investigation uncovered a lengthy criminal record stretching back to 2011, when Pea stabbed two individuals at a gathering. One victim sustained eight stab wounds, yet Pea received merely 18 months of community supervision despite a jury conviction for the brutal assault.
His criminal activity continued accumulating: one offense in 2020, four in 2023, and another in 2024. This year alone, King County jail records document eight separate bookings involving charges ranging from assault and indecent exposure to narcotics violations and property damage. Additional offenses included unlawful weapons possession and malicious mischief.
Remarkably, Seattle Municipal Court and King County Superior Court documents indicate none of this year’s arrests resulted in formal charges—until the alleged attack on Marken.
Pea now faces first-degree assault charges and remains detained pending a competency evaluation scheduled for later this month.
Prosecutors referenced Pea’s extensive criminal background in charging documents, stating that his “egregious actions in this case, as well as his prior assaultive criminal history, demonstrate that he is a substantial danger to the community and is likely to commit a violent offense.”
Dyrikis expressed profound frustration with the criminal justice system’s apparent failure to prevent the attack.
“He’s a usual? A usual what? Attacking people? Civilians? What the hell is wrong with your system?” he questioned. “I want someone to at least say to my mom, ‘Hey, we’re working on this, we’re fixing it… I want them to say, ‘we notice, hey, we’re working on it.'”
The family remains devastated by the senseless violence that has permanently altered Marken’s life, questioning how someone with such an extensive history of violent behavior remained free to strike again.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
