Bellingham man sent to prison for mother’s November 2021 shooting death

A Bellingham man who shot his mother to death in November 2021 will spend a little more than two decades in prison.

Erich M. Abrams, 36, was sentenced Aug. 30 in Whatcom County Superior Court to 21.6 years in prison with three years probation for first-degree murder (domestic violence) for the Nov. 18, 2021, death of Maryann Abrams. Erich Abrams pleaded guilty to the charge the same day he was sentenced.

As part of his sentencing, Abrams must also register as a felony firearm offender, can’t possess or consume alcohol and must pay more than $8,500 in restitution, according to court records.

Abrams’ prison time was an agreed recommendation presented by both the prosecution and defense attorneys.

In a letter submitted to the court, Maryann Abrams’ brother, Gene Schubert, said his sister’s murder was the worst tragedy he’s experienced and that nothing he wrote seemed to be enough to describe the loss of his sister.

Schubert said he used to speak with his sister every Sunday for hours, in which they would reminisce about their childhood and she would share information about their family history. Schubert said that they were best friends and that she often put her son, Erich Abrams, and his needs before her own, according to court records.

Schubert wrote that he wanted to see justice served for his sister’s death and that he didn’t believe a minimal sentence honored his sister’s life.

Sentencing documents submitted to the court by Abrams’ public defense attorney showed Abrams’ was suffering from undiagnosed and untreated schizophrenia and alcohol use disorder at the time of his mother’s killing.

A forensic psychologist who evaluated Abrams wrote in a report that Abrams’ symptoms included auditory hallucinations, persecutory delusions and deteriorating social and occupational functioning, the court documents state. The psychologist wrote that Abrams’ psychotic disorder was undiagnosed and untreated until after his arrest.

“The combination of his delusional ideation and disinhibition from his alcohol use contributed to the alleged acts of November 18, 2021. Had the examinee received appropriate treatment, it is unlikely that these events would have occurred. He will require continued psychiatric treatment while in custody and after his release,” the psychiatric evaluation report states.

Bellingham police were called around 1:42 a.m. on Nov. 18, 2021, to the intersection of Bakerview and Maplewood avenues for the report of a single-car crash involving a red Subaru Outback, according to previous reporting in The Bellingham Herald.

Sirius XM advised police it had a report of a crash of the car, which was owned by Maryann Abrams, and operators told What-comm dispatchers they could hear someone moving around inside the vehicle, court records state. The Sirius XM operator told police that the person inside the vehicle, who was later identified as Erich Abrams, said he was going to kill himself for what he did or that he wanted police to kill him, the records show.

Police used a public address system and Abrams exited the vehicle and was arrested. Abrams immediately told police to shoot him and then told police he had just shot his mother at their shared residence on Maplewood Avenue, according to court records.

Police and firefighters responded to the shared residence and found Maryann Abrams with multiple gunshot wounds to her face, chest and legs. She was pronounced dead at the scene, court records state.

During an interview with detectives, Abrams said he and his mother had got into an argument that morning and he became upset, so he walked into his bedroom, used a combination to unlock his safe where he retrieved a firearm and loaded the weapon. He then walked to his mother’s room and shot her, according to the records.

Abrams then took the keys to his mother’s vehicle and drove away from the residence, where he intended to kill himself. Due to his level of intoxication, Abrams failed to make a turn from West Maplewood Avenue into West Broadway and crashed into a pole, the court records state.

The judge at Abrams’ sentencing hearing ultimately followed the attorneys’ sentencing recommendation and sentenced Abrams on the low end of the standard range, court records show.

Resources

▪ Brigid Collins Family Support Center: 360-734-4616, brigidcollins.org

▪ Child Protective Services: Washington state hotline for reporting child abuse and neglect, 866-829-2153.

▪ Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Services: 24-hour Help Line: 360-715-1563, Email: info@dvsas.org.

▪ Lummi Victims of Crime: 360-312-2015.

▪ Tl’ils Ta’á’altha Victims of Crime: 360-325-3310 or nooksacktribe.org/departments/youth-family-services/tlils-taaaltha-victims-of-crime-program/

▪ Bellingham Police: You can call anonymously at 360-778-8611, or go online at cob.org/tips.

▪ WWU Consultation and Sexual Assault Support Survivor Advocacy Services: 360-650-3700 or wp.wwu.edu/sexualviolence/.