Pierce County prosecutors Thursday charged a 32-year-old man with first-degree murder, alleging he beat his landlady with a barbell then ran over her with a van.
A not guilty plea was entered on behalf of Ivan Lee Pinto. Superior Court Commissioner Patrick Oishi ordered Pinto jailed in lieu of $1 million bail.
Deputies arrested Pinto on Wednesday after he called 911 to report someone had attacked him and that the attacker was dead. Deputies found a 60-year-old woman dead in a driveway in the 200 block of 288th Street South. Pinto also was there.
Medical examiners have not released the woman’s name, pending notification of next of kin.
Pinto told deputies he and the woman shared a home in Tenino and that she would have considered them a couple but he did not, according to court records.
A neighbor told investigators the woman lived in the main part of the house and Pinto lived in a garage apartment. The woman recently gave Pinto “ultimatums regarding seeking treatment and eviction,” court records show.
Pinto allegedly told deputies he and the woman were driving in the van late Tuesday when they stopped to let a dog traveling with them relieve itself.
Pinto said he and the woman then argued before she picked up a rock and hit him in the head several times, records show. Deputies noted he had several bumps on his forehead and cheek.
Pinto told deputies he picked up a rock of his own and hit the woman in the head before grabbing a barbell and hitting her in the head again, court records show.
“When asked how many blows he delivered, Pinto replied, ‘Obviously enough,’ ” the records state. He also said he didn’t intend to kill the woman.
Pinto’s clothes were covered in blood, and deputies found a bloody barbell inside the van, records show. They also discovered what appeared to be tire tracks across the victim’s chest and right shoulder, the records state.
An autopsy showed the victim suffered a fractured skull. Medical Examiner Thomas Clark reported that the woman had been hit with a blunt object several times, but none of the blows was severe enough to crack her skull. “The skull fracture and resulting skin injuries were consistent with having been run over by an automobile,” court records show.
Adam Lynn: 253-597-8644 adam.lynn@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/crime
