Latest news with #PierceCountyMedicalExaminer'sOffice
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
‘Me or him.' Tacoma man charged with fatally shooting 66-year-old stepfather
A Tacoma man is accused of intentionally killing his 66-year-old stepfather in their home Thursday afternoon. Prosecutors charged Jason Matthew Frederick, 45, with first-degree murder for the shooting. A plea of not guilty was entered on Frederick's behalf during his arraignment Friday. Pierce County Superior Court Judge Pro Tempore Meagan Foley set his bail at $1 million. The victim has not yet been identified, pending confirmation from the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office. Officers were dispatched at 5:24 p.m. to a home in the 5800 block of Pacific Avenue after a woman reported her son, Frederick, just shot her husband. She said it was intentional and the victim was Frederick's stepfather, according to charging documents. Frederick walked down the stairs when officers arrived and complied with their demands, documents show. The victim was sitting in a recliner near a pool of blood. He appeared to have been shot in the back of the head and was dead, which was later confirmed by firefighters. A search of the home showed the shotgun used in the shooting was partially concealed in a case located in a basement bedroom, according to documents. Frederick's mother told officers that her son had been 'acting crazy lately' and her other son tried to stop the defendant from shooting the man, document show. After officers advised Frederick of his Miranda rights, he allegedly told police that his stepfather had been been starving him and that he 'prevented a bunch of bad things from happening.' When asked by an officer how he did that, Frederick allegedly said, 'I shot him ... I shot [the victim,]' according to charging documents. Frederick allegedly said he intended to shoot the victim with the shotgun. He allegedly told police, 'He's been married to my mom for a long time ... things just started getting more intense, you know. It got to feeling like it was gonna be me or him first,' documents show. His mother told detectives in an interview at Tacoma Police Department Headquarters that Frederick had been living in the home after he was injured in a car crash, documents show. His mother alleged Frederick had been 'abnormally paranoid' and focused on his stepfather, documents show. She said there had been arguments between the two but did not know of any physical altercations. She said before the shooting, she was making dinner and her husband was in his recliner in the living room, documents show. She saw Frederick allegedly carrying a shotgun when he walked towards his stepdad. She heard a gunshot and shouted, 'You just shot my husband.' Frederick allegedly responded with, 'Yeah, I shot him.' He then went upstairs until police arrived, according to his mother. Frederick made several allegations against the victim, at one point claiming he was a 'computer scammer' and that he was mentally abusive, documents show. Frederick told detectives that before the shooting he was stuck in the basement most of the day, documents show. He allegedly reiterated that 'it got to a point where I felt it was either me or him, documents show.' He said that he allegedly got the shotgun from its case, put one shell in and '...went upstairs... execution style,' documents show. Frederick allegedly described to detectives shooting his stepfather in the head and his mother's reaction. When his mother asked him why, Frederick allegedly replied, 'Well, I think you know why.' Court records show Frederick has previous convictions, including driving with a suspended license from 2007 in Gig Harbor and driving under the influence in 2005.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
‘Me or him.' Tacoma man charged with fatally shooting 66-year-old stepfather
A Tacoma man is accused of intentionally killing his 66-year-old stepfather in their home Thursday afternoon. Prosecutors charged Jason Matthew Frederick, 45, with first-degree murder for the shooting. A plea of not guilty was entered on Frederick's behalf during his arraignment Friday. Pierce County Superior Court Judge Pro Tempore Meagan Foley set his bail at $1 million. The victim has not yet been identified, pending confirmation from the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office. Officers were dispatched at 5:24 p.m. to a home in the 5800 block of Pacific Avenue after a woman reported her son, Frederick, just shot her husband. She said it was intentional and the victim was Frederick's stepfather, according to charging documents. Frederick walked down the stairs when officers arrived and complied with their demands, documents show. The victim was sitting in a recliner near a pool of blood. He appeared to have been shot in the back of the head and was dead, which was later confirmed by firefighters. A search of the home showed the shotgun used in the shooting was partially concealed in a case located in a basement bedroom, according to documents. Frederick's mother told officers that her son had been 'acting crazy lately' and her other son tried to stop the defendant from shooting the man, document show. After officers advised Frederick of his Miranda rights, he allegedly told police that his stepfather had been been starving him and that he 'prevented a bunch of bad things from happening.' When asked by an officer how he did that, Frederick allegedly said, 'I shot him ... I shot [the victim,]' according to charging documents. Frederick allegedly said he intended to shoot the victim with the shotgun. He allegedly told police, 'He's been married to my mom for a long time ... things just started getting more intense, you know. It got to feeling like it was gonna be me or him first,' documents show. His mother told detectives in an interview at Tacoma Police Department Headquarters that Frederick had been living in the home after he was injured in a car crash, documents show. His mother alleged Frederick had been 'abnormally paranoid' and focused on his stepfather, documents show. She said there had been arguments between the two but did not know of any physical altercations. She said before the shooting, she was making dinner and her husband was in his recliner in the living room, documents show. She saw Frederick allegedly carrying a shotgun when he walked towards his stepdad. She heard a gunshot and shouted, 'You just shot my husband.' Frederick allegedly responded with, 'Yeah, I shot him.' He then went upstairs until police arrived, according to his mother. Frederick made several allegations against the victim, at one point claiming he was a 'computer scammer' and that he was mentally abusive, documents show. Frederick told detectives that before the shooting he was stuck in the basement most of the day, documents show. He allegedly reiterated that 'it got to a point where I felt it was either me or him, documents show.' He said that he allegedly got the shotgun from its case, put one shell in and '...went upstairs... execution style,' documents show. Frederick allegedly described to detectives shooting his stepfather in the head and his mother's reaction. When his mother asked him why, Frederick allegedly replied, 'Well, I think you know why.' Court records show Frederick has previous convictions, including driving with a suspended license from 2007 in Gig Harbor and driving under the influence in 2005.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Yahoo
Army vet killed in crash was well-known in Tacoma motorcycle community
When a biker in Pierce County purchased a new motorcycle, they'd often find a little fish hook drawn on its mirror. Rodger Smith, who went by Dean and also was known as 'Fish Hook,' was the usual culprit. 'As soon as you went outside on the bike and looked in your mirror you realized Fish Hook was there,' Ryan Eaton, who considered Smith his best friend, told The News Tribune. 'And there were places you would go and see little fish hooks.' Eaton said seeing little fish hooks now is hard to take after Smith was killed over a week ago in a crash. Smith and his wife were riding their motorcycles on 152nd Street East in South Hill when the driver of a Jeep Cherokee reportedly struck him. Before the crash, the driver's vehicle reportedly went out of control when it exited a right-hand corner, crossed the center line and hit Smith head-on, according to charging documents. Smith was ejected from his bike and died upon impact, documents show. Pierce County prosecutors charged Christy Lynn Carter, 42, with vehicular homicide. Prosecutors say Carter was driving drunk at the time, with her recorded her blood-alcohol level allegedly at 0.15 percent, above the legal limit of 0.08. She was released from the Pierce County Jail on May 28 on a $100,000 bond, records show. The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office identified the victim as Rodger Smith of Puyallup. He died from multiple blunt force injuries and his manner of death was listed as an accident, according to a news release. Eaton met Smith through mutual friends that he rode motorcycles with over a decade ago. Smith was part of a local motorcycle club in Tacoma and a proud U.S. Army combat veteran. 'He was the kind of guy to try to make everything fun,' Eaton told The News Tribune on Thursday. 'He always tried to put a positive twist on things, and try to get everybody to laugh.' Eaton said he learned of Smith's death after a mutual friend called him to say people had been posting on Facebook about the crash. 'Then I saw the video, the raw video from the scene, and I immediately recognized the bike, because that bike spent several months with me. I just got that bike put back together, had the engine done up, and just got it running right,' Eaton said. 'It was his favorite bike.' The next day, Eaton rode out to the accident scene because felt he needed to go there. 'That's kind of how I had to originally accept what had happened, by actually being there and seeing the large area that this accident scene covered,' he said. Tributes have poured in through Facebook from people who knew Smith. Eaton said his friend was well known, and anytime Smith showed up at an event, there was always someone who knew him there. Smith also always made it a priority to check up on the soldiers that he served with, Eaton said. He would go to reunions with them, making sure they were OK as they had seen stuff 'that none of us want to think about seeing.' 'That's the ultimate sacrifice, to leave your country and lose your life for your country. But to survive it, come home and be taken out this way — it just doesn't seem right,' Eaton said. A celebration of life is scheduled for June 21 when people will be riding to Eatonville for a gathering. There will be a service at the Tahoma National Cemetery on June 25. Eaton said he expected 'quite a few people' to show up at both events.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Tough and tender.' Longtime advocate for Pierce County homicide victims dies
Lew Cox, a longtime advocate for victims of violent crime who was a fixture in the courthouse in Pierce County, was recently involved in a car crash and died at 85. Cox was well known by prosecutors, law enforcement and the scores of families he helped to process grief and understand the inner workings of the judicial system, turning his own personal tragedy into a mission to assist others to heal. His 22-year-old daughter, Carmon, was murdered in Los Angeles in 1987 while Cox was in the Philippines performing work through a ministry he started, according to his wife, Suzanne, and an online letter Cox authored in 2008. Cox founded Tacoma-based Violent Crime Victims Services four years after his daughter was killed, giving families and friends of homicide victims a reputable advocate in someone intimately familiar with the experience of losing a loved one. He worked with over 1,000 families, including in high-profile cases such as the Green River killings, Suzanne Cox said in an interview. The organization, which she said essentially folded about two years ago after her husband left in 2021, offered crisis intervention, peer counseling, support groups and court guidance. While Lew Cox was dedicated to Pierce County, he helped families elsewhere, including outside the United States, according to his wife. 'I don't think anybody knows more about grief counseling than Lew,' Scott Bramhall, who became a client in 1992 after his wife's brother was murdered in Tacoma, said in an interview. Lew Cox died May 14, involved in a two-vehicle crash in the 7900 block of Valley Avenue Northwest near the Fife-Puyallup border. Suzanne Cox and Bramhall said Tuesday that all details were not yet known but that he may have suffered some type of medical event prior to the wreck and they were awaiting clarity from the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office. The driver of the other vehicle was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said. Lew Cox, a graduate of Stadium High School, was frequently found in the pages of The News Tribune. Violent Crime Victim Services was credited in 1997 with helping a mother who became a political activist after her 21-year-old son was slain. Cox provided his perspective on the relief that families felt being able to address 'Green River Killer' Gary Ridgway during Ridgway's sentencing hearing in 2003. He advocated for justice in 2004 as then-Pierce County Prosecutor Gerald Horne weighed whether to charge the Washington D.C.-area snipers with the 2002 slaying of a 21-year-old woman. In other instances, he acted as a family spokesperson to the press, defended a prosecutor's rationale for not seeking the death penalty for the murder of an armored guard, reflected on a week spent in New York following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and described the difficulty of enduring in the aftermath of heartbreak. 'Am I over this? No. You never get over it. There's a piece of your heart that's been ripped out,' he told a News Tribune reporter in 2004. 'I loved my daughter very much; losing her was the worst pain a father can experience. But I also knew I had to resume life.' Bramhall, a retired Puyallup police detective, said that Cox — who also served for roughly 25 years as a chaplain for the Des Moines Police Department — was an asset to prosecutors and law enforcement as a liaison between officials and crime victims' families. 'If you went to the courthouse, you would oftentimes find him there,' Bramhall said. Pierce County deputy prosecutor Lisa Wagner recalled Cox as omnipresent in courthouse hallways and 'really, such a huge help' because he had the ability to keep close relationships with victims' families even after they had left the courthouse — ties that prosecutors and Pierce County's victim advocates don't ordinarily maintain. Wagner, who met Cox three decades ago through her work, said he had a keen understanding of the legal system and willingly re-lived his own trauma for the sake of providing 'incalculable' aid to others. Cox was genuinely kind and caring, Wagner said in an interview. 'You don't often run into people like that in my business,' she said. Prosecuting Attorney Mary Robnett first crossed paths with Cox in the mid-1990s, and he was well known to the attorneys and advocates in the Prosecutor's Office, she told The News Tribune. He had the air of a religious leader and was soft-spoken, warm and approachable, according to Robnett, who said it was comforting to have him around. Her office would pick up his phone calls or set aside time to meet with him, and he often showed up to court hearings with family members of victims, she said. Robnett said she remembers Cox sitting in court, attending community events and appearing at law enforcement funerals. Ultimately, he wanted to be a resource for victims' families. 'He did that and he did that really well,' she said. Suzanne Cox described her husband as 'a tough and tender kind of guy' who wasn't known to dwell. He had experienced more than one tragedy in his life. Shortly after the murder of his daughter — born from a previous marriage — his wife died, too, she said. He later lost a son. 'I just always was kind of amazed by his resiliency,' she said. Suzanne and Lew Cox married in 1991. He was a published author, co-writing a book titled, 'Coping with Traumatic Death: Homicide,' that sought to shepherd grieving families through loss. He also served on a Washington state task force related to criminal sentencing as a strong proponent of not lowering punishment, testified in front of state lawmakers and took the stand in a civil court case, Suzanne Cox said. He trained therapists and chaplains, and worked as a consultant after leaving Violent Crime Victim Services. 'He cared for people. He cared for everybody that he worked with,' she said. 'He just had a real heart for victims and he had a heart to see that things would be better for them in terms of the laws.' Lew Cox also enjoyed outside interests, namely trains, planes and automobiles, and he was a commercially rated pilot, according to his wife and Bramhall. He was an avid tennis player and church-goer who liked to dress up in suits. He also wasn't afraid to speak his mind, including when his wife cooked too much pasta or neighborhood kids were too loud. In his youth, Lew Cox was an altar boy and later worked in a shoe store, drove trucks hauling gasoline, sugar or honey, and opened a health food shop in Federal Way that was eventually bought and turned into Marlene's Market & Deli, according to Suzanne Cox. In the last year of his life, Lew Cox had suffered some health issues but none that were debilitating, his wife said. The day before he died, the couple had learned that he had a mass on his bladder but it wasn't known if it was cancerous. He died on his wife's birthday, just four days before their 34th wedding anniversary. 'Lew was very dedicated,' Bramhall said. 'He would sink his teeth into a project and not let go. 'And his teeth were sunk into caring for the people who were facing a grief that no one else could help them with.' Lew Cox is survived by his wife, two daughters, two granddaughters and one great-grandson. His family is planning on holding a funeral service in August in Federal Way, where he and his wife lived.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
Deadly Tacoma shooting stemmed from petty dispute, court records show
A man has been charged with shooting two people during a dispute in Tacoma over the weekend. Nicholas Morris James Miller, 26, has been charged with first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, second-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm for the April 27 incident, according to court records. A man was killed and a woman injured, Tacoma police say. A plea of not guilty was entered on Miller's behalf during his arraignment Thursday afternoon. Pierce County Superior Court Judge TaTeasha Davis set a $2 million bail. Davis prohibited the media from taking photos of Miller's face. Several members of the victim's family were present during the hearing. The victim's aunt addressed the court, saying her nephew was 'doing great' before he was killed and tried to deescalate the situation. Deputy prosecuting attorney Dalton Smith said the facts of the case were 'highly alarming.' 'The violence in this case was senseless. It was unnecessary, and it was simply tragic,' he said. The victim's identity has not been publicly released, pending confirmation from the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office. Officers were dispatched to the 4800 block of East Q Street for a shooting. A gray 2009 Mercedes was parked on the side of the street where one of the passengers was standing and holding a man in the driver's seat who had been shot, according to charging documents. Police began medical aid on the injured man. A woman sitting in the front passenger seat had been shot several times in her legs, documents show. They were both taken to a hospital where the man died. Both of the passengers in the car told police that 'Quicc' was the shooter. Documents show that 'Quicc' was identified as Miller. The victim that held up the man told officers she had been in the backseat of the car. Miller drove up while they were at a smoke shop nearby, and they all had a cordial conversation, prosecutors wrote. Miller recognized the woman in the front seat and told the man to pull over down the road. Miller was mad over a comment the woman made on social media, according to the backseat passenger. The woman who had been shot later told police the confrontation happened due to a falling out with two women she knew. When they were all parked, Miller left his car to approach the woman, documents show. The man got out of the car and blocked Miller from getting to the woman. Miller allegedly reached into his cross-body bag after he exchanged words with the man. Documents show that Miller initially backed off, and the man got back into the driver's seat, but then the defendant allegedly came up to the window and pointed a gun at the backseat passenger. Miller then allegedly shot the man several times, then shot the woman in the front seat. He got back into his car and drove off. Lakewood police helped Tacoma detectives find Miller and arrest him outside of an apartment complex, documents show. Prosecutors noted that in a photo from March 1, Miller had 'dreadlocks' in his hair, but during his arrest Tuesday, his hair was shaved off. Miller denied being in Tacoma during the shooting. He said that the man was more of a friend to his brothers, but he knew him and they did not hang out, prosecutors wrote. Miller claimed he did not know the woman who had been shot and said he had not owned a gun in many years. 'Nicholas consistently denied being involved in the homicide, would or could not provide information about the people he said he had been with or could verify things he was telling us,' documents say. Miller also told police he had a twin brother, then a young brother who looked like him, documents show. A cross-body bag was found in the residence Miller was staying at. Investigators allegedly found a loaded firearm inside of the bag. Prosecutors wrote that Miller has two active cases in Pierce County Superior Court. In November 2024, he posted a $45,000 bond for second-degree assault. He also has prior convictions dating back to when he was a teenager for second-degree assault in 2011 and residential burglary in 2015.
