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Stepdad confessed to killing: sheriffs

American authorities say a British Columbia man has confessed to slashing his five-year-old stepdaughter’s throat while vacationing in Washington state.

HOODSPORT, Wash. — American authorities say a British Columbia man has confessed to slashing his five-year-old stepdaughter’s throat while vacationing in Washington state.

Peter Wilson, of Abbotsford, B.C., appeared in a Mason County court Monday accused of the first-degree murder of Clare Shelswell. He was ordered to remain in custody and bail was set at $3 million.

The Mason County Sheriff’s Office says the tragedy unfolded while Wilson, 29, and his wife, Sarah, were on holiday with their two daughters and dog in Hoodsport, Wash., just west of Seattle.

Police responded to a 911 call Sunday at a two-storey home in the forested neighbourhood, overlooking Lake Cushman, and found Wilson sitting on a swing in a gazebo on the property. He was easily taken into custody, police said.

Medics found the little girl in the kitchen and moved her to the dining area for treatment. She died at the scene.

An affidavit from one of the investigating officers filed with the court said the girl’s mother told police she and Wilson had argued about discipline earlier in the day. It said her husband told her “not to worry” and “he would take care of it.”

Shortly after he took his stepdaughter downstairs, Sarah Wilson told police she heard a scream. Rushing to the commotion, the woman spotted her daughter lying on her back in a pool of blood, holding her throat with her hands.

Court documents said Wilson allegedly told officers at the scene that he “knowingly” killed the girl by cutting her throat with a knife.