A fifth defendant charged in the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Camille Love pleaded guilty this week to leading organized crime.
Dean T. Salavea, who entered his plea Monday, is to be sentenced Feb. 3. Salavea, 25, is one of seven men charged in the Feb. 7, 2010, death of Love and shooting of her brother, Josh Love, who were attacked as they were driving down a Tacoma street.
Five of those charged have been convicted of counts including first-degree murder. Two remaining defendants are at large.
Pierce County prosecutors said members of a street gang shot up Camille Love’s car in retaliation for an earlier shooting that targeted one of their members. Neither Love nor her brother was connected to the previous shooting. Prosecutors said they were targeted because Camille Love’s car was red and Josh Love was wearing a red jacket.
The color red is associated with a gang thought responsible for the initial shooting.
Salavea denied being a member of the gang that attacked the Loves, saying he was only a friend of some of its members. Prosecutors say he helped steal a van used in the attack on the Loves.
Salavea later was paralyzed in a May 2010 shooting that killed his friend, Juan Zuniga, the leader of the street gang that attacked the Loves.
Adam Lynn: 253-597-8644 adam.lynn@thenewstribune. com blog.thenewstribune.com/crime Twitter: @TNTadam
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.