Tyler W. Savage was described Tuesday as polite, trustworthy and “a good kid.”
Savage, 18, liked to play video games and watch movies with Jenny Berto’s 15-year-old son.
“I trust him wholeheartedly,” said Berto, a neighbor of Savage’s. “This is throwing me for a loop. This is totally unexpected.”
Pierce County prosecutors charged Savage on Tuesday with aggravated first-degree murder in the death of a developmentally disabled South Hill teen whose body was found Monday night. Investigators allege Savage killed Kimberly “Kimmie” Daily, 16, and then sexually assaulted the body before her family reported her missing Aug. 17.
Savage, who has no prior criminal history, pleaded not guilty.
His mother declined to comment. “You’re not getting nothing,” she said outside the family’s home on 113th Avenue East in Puyallup. “You just need to go.”
Three homes away, Berto was near tears about Savage’s arrest.
“He’s like a family member,” said Berto, 35. “I accepted him into my home.”
Berto said Savage was known throughout the South Hill neighborhood. Savage, who was going to be a senior at Emerald Ridge High School, took Berto’s son to the South Hill Mall and out for pizza, in addition to playing video games and watching movies with him at her home.
“He’s a good kid,” Berto said of Savage, who wanted to be a video game tester and inventor. “He’s a gamer.”
A spokesman for Savage’s family said he is polite, has never been in trouble before and has not used alcohol or drugs.
“These are decent people,” Michael Von Gnatensky said of Savage and his family. “You couldn’t meet a better family. … They are blue-collar, salt-of-the-earth, regular people.”
Savage’s parents declined to speak about their son or be identified. His stepfather said they “need more time.”
Attorney Jay Berneburg of Tacoma met with Savage before his arraignment in Pierce County Superior Court. He called the teen “respectful, polite and soft-spoken.”
“If these allegations are true, knowing how well-mannered and respectful this young man is, the question becomes: How did this happen?” Berneburg said. “When you meet this kid, these allegations are really surprising.”
Savage’s Facebook page lists 50 Cent as among his favorite music groups and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” among his favorite movies. Savage likes skiing, walks on the beach and Bible study, according to his page.
Investigators interviewed Savage on Monday, and he reportedly led them to Daily’s body, which was about 150 yards off 122nd Street East in an overgrown vacant lot.
Residents in the tree-lined area on South Hill expressed shock over the slaying.
“I think it’s terrible,” said Joe Owen, 80, as he stood at the front door of his home across from the lot. “A little girl got murdered, and to dump her at my front door.”
“It’s senseless,” said Lisa Whitlinger, 40. “Everybody loses.”
Steve Maynard: 253-597-8647
steve.maynard@thenewstribune.com
Staff writers Stacia Glenn, Adam Lynn and Stacey Mulick contributed to this report.
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