Restraining order issued against Kennewick nanny

PASCO — A Kennewick woman who was a live-in nanny for a Pasco family has been ordered to have no contact with the two young children or their father.

John David Murdock, 62, sought a restraining order against Shalena Millward, saying he feared the 38-year-old was planning to take off with his 4-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son.

Murdock's wife, Michelle, was charged in July with plotting to kill her husband and Millward is the key witness for the prosecution.

But last week, prosecutors said Murdock told them he no longer fears for his life from his wife and believes the nanny may have come up with the murder plot idea.

Millward had been the family's live-in nanny since April and was fired by Dave Murdock on Sept. 6. She has said she believes Murdock sought the restraining order to discredit her testimony against his wife in the criminal case.

Murdock's attorney, Mark Kuffel, told Court Commissioner Jerri Potts in Franklin County Superior Court on Monday that the children's belongings were placed in suitcases that were found in the nanny's quarters.

Millward had displayed a "series of behaviors" that were concerning to Murdock and his adult children, Kuffel said.

Murdock also claimed Millward had been giving sedatives to the kids.

Millward denied the allegations and brought in two duffel bags with her to court. She told Potts the bags have the children's names on them but there was no way she could leave with the children based on the belongings inside. She did not say in court what was inside.

Millward, who is a licensed nursing assistant, also said she kept a list of medications given to the kids in a nanny log and denied giving them sedatives to put them to sleep.

She also asked to continue the hearing until she could hire her own attorney, but Potts denied the request.

Potts instead granted a one-year protection order against Millward. She said she based her decision on Murdock's sworn statement and said it was "particular for protection for the children."

Millward has filed her own restraining order against Murdock in Benton County Superior Court. She received a temporary protection order Sept. 15 and will be in court Friday to request a permanent order.

In her petition, Millward said she is the primary witness in the conspiracy to commit murder case against Murdock's wife and said she thinks Murdock is having an emotional breakdown.

"He has been showing bizzar (sic) behavior such as sending me a package 2 days after filing a protection order against me containing a gift that I have rejected (stuffed bear)," she wrote in court documents.

Millward also said Murdock now is asserting that his wife is not a threat, but Millward said she has "hours of tape of her plotting his murder."

"Mr. Murdock blames me for his wife's charges and got violent the last time I physically saw him," Millward wrote.

She claims that Murdock illegally fired her because he was mad that she went to a Mormon church in the ward associated with Murdock's Pasco home instead of staying in the ward in Kennewick associated with her old address.

She said the weekend of Sept. 5 was the last weekend she was going to be living at her Kennewick home because the nanny house on Murdock's property nearly was done, but said he illegally fired her Sept. 6.

Millward claims Murdock and his older children threatened her and "verbally assaulted" her as she packed her belongings and took them back to her Kennewick home.

"I do not think Mr. Murdock has the mental capacity to stop himself from hurting me and my children," wrote Millward, who has two children, ages 20 and 16.

* Paula Horton: 509-582-1556; phorton@tricityherald.com

This story was originally published September 21, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Restraining order issued against Kennewick nanny."