Former city councilman James McNeal faces murder charge after woman half his ... trends now
A woman was allegedly strangled in her bed by a city councilman 38 years her senior after she tried to leave the toxic relationship.
James McNeal, 58, slashed his wrists and had his lawyer call police to arrest him about 24 hours after Liliya Guyvoronsky, 20, was killed.
The former Bothell City Council member was arrested at 4620 A Orchard Street in South Seattle on Tuesday night and charged with murder.
The young woman said in messages sent to friends that McNeal was controlling, got angry when she said no to him, and once told her would 'sex traffic' her.
When police entered the house they found Guyvoronsky naked on her bed, lying on her back with the bedding covering her, according to the arrest report.
Liliya Guyvoronsky, 20, was found dead in her South Seattle home, naked and strangled, after she tried to leave a toxic relationship with a former city councilman
Former Bothell City Council member James McNeal, 58, slashed his wrists and had his lawyer call police to arrest him about 24 hours after allegedly murdering her
Guyvoronsky said in messages sent to friends that McNeal was controlling, got angry when she said no to him, and once told her would 'sex traffic' her
She had injury marks on her neck, forehead, and under her jaw and police believe she was strangled.
There was blood on the headboard, pillow and carpet and a photo of McNeal's arrest shared online showed him covered in blood. Police said McNeal had self-inflicted wounds on his wrists.
A handwritten to-do list dated April 29 found in the home included 'do not interact w/James today' as its last item.
Messages to a friend detailed how Guyvoronsky, an 'independent contractor' at Kittens Cabaret, was unhappy with the relationship and wanted to end it.
'It's f**ked up. He got me to have sex. I was celibate for a year and a half and I was not ready. I didn't really want to,' she wrote.
'But he forced a relationship and really pushed me, and honestly, really affected my mental health because I got really depressed and it triggered all my bad emotions from my past.
'I thought I could never be played again but now I'm realizing he played a different game on me that I was not aware of and it really caught me off guard.'
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A photo of McNeal's arrest shared online showed him covered in blood. Police said McNeal had self-inflicted wounds on his wrists
The room where Guyvoronsky was found naked on her bed, lying on her back with the bedding covering her, with strangulation marks and blood everywhere
Guyvoronsky told her friend how McNeal, who recently broke up with his wife with whom he has three children, pursued and manipulated her.
'He is really controlling and I can tell he thinks I'm stupid because I am young,' she wrote.
'He thinks he's smarter and he picked me and pursued me very strategically. And he was really smart about it and he really did succeed. Unbelievable.
'He's been grooming me this whole time, trying to reprogram me to think about myself so I don't expect anything.
'Don't ask, be easy, give him what he wants to get away with low effort and bad behavior. I'm not that dumb tho (sic), he will realize this won't work.
'He doesn't like older women for a reason, and I know why. They will challenge him and be harder to control.'
She said she tried to change and be self-aware since she went to rehab and had changed for the better since then to know her worth.
Guyvoronsky also sent a voice message to a friend, posted online by Jonathan Choe, updating her on how the relationship was going and the toxic dynamic between them.
She said McNeal pursued her so strongly because 'I'm a challenge, I'm not like other girls' and she would ignore him for whole days.
'He can get me gifts I'm not gonna be over here oh so excited. I just act like... he does not faze me, it's not like I've never met a rich guy in my life, I've grown up with my dad,' she said.
'I will say no to him, I am firm with him, and because of that challenge that's why he's still here pursuing me, he's so into me.'
McNeal recently split with his wife, with whom he has three children
Guyvoronsky told her friend how McNeal pursued and manipulated her
Messages to a friend detailed how Guyvoronsky, an 'independent contractor' at Kittens Cabaret, was unhappy with the relationship and wanted to end it
Guyvoronsky explained how McNeal got angry when she refused him and and was lying to her, though didn't explain what about.
'He's trying to put me in a place where he has all the access he wants, for
