Man charged in fatal Tacoma stabbing said it was a gang initiation

Jose Ayala Reyes told Tacoma police he stabbed his friend so he would be accepted into a local gang, Pierce County prosecutors allege.

On Monday, prosecutors charged the 24-year-old Lakewood man with first-degree murder in the April 28 death of his friend Samuel Cruces-Vazquez.

The court entered a not guilty plea on his behalf at arraignment, and Court Commissioner Meagan Foley set bail at $2 million.

Cruces-Vazquez was found stabbed to death outside his car in the 7800 block of South Trafton Street. Charging papers give this account:

Cruces-Vazquez got off work about 10:30 p.m. and left a restaurant in Southcenter Mall. He left a voicemail for a friend saying he was going to get drinks.

Someone called 911 about 11:20 p.m. to report Cruces-Vazquez was lying in the road near his car. He was taken to Tacoma General Hospital, where he died.

The Medical Examiner’s Office said he died of multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma.

Investigators believe Cruces-Vazquez was stabbed by Ayala Reyes while he was riding with his friend.

A knife was found on the ground outside Cruces-Vazquez’s car, and a man’s shoe was wedged between the passenger door and the vehicle frame. A bloody print matching the left-behind shoe and a disposable glove were found in the victim’s car

Detectives identified Ayala Reyes as a suspect and used cellphone records to confirm he was in the area at the time Cruces-Vazquez was killed.

Ayala Reyes lives in a mobile home park less than a mile from where Cruces-Vazquez’s body was found.

When police interviewed Ayala Reyes on Friday, he allegedly admitted stabbing his friend but said he only cut his leg. He also said the stabbing was an initiation to be welcomed into a gang.

“Jose stated that it had to be Samuel that was killed,” court records state.

Ayala Reyes said at arraignment that he is from El Salvador, and Commissioner Foley told him his consulate would be notified of the charge against him.

This story was originally published July 11, 2016 at 4:11 PM with the headline "Man charged in fatal Tacoma stabbing said it was a gang initiation."