Criminal sentencings in Pierce County in May and June 2025

This collection of articles highlights significant criminal sentencings in Pierce County Superior Court in May and June 2025.

In one case, a man engaged in a shootout with deputies, resulting in a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for drive-by shooting and firearm possession. Deputies fired numerous shots, but nobody was seriously injured. In another case, a private security guard was fatally shot outside a gas station. The perpetrator was sentenced to 60 years for murder and related offenses. In a separate incident, two teenagers received sentences for involvement in a deadly robbery.

Wesley Jose Molinero Dominguez is pictured in a childhood photograph. Molinero Dominguez was murdered Jan. 28, 2023 in a set-up robbery that led to a shooting.

NO. 1: SECOND MAN SENTENCED FOR PIERCE COUNTY FATAL SHOOTING OF TEEN IN SET-UP ROBBERY

Wesley Jose Molinero Dominguez, 19, was killed in the 2023 robbery during a marijuana transaction. | Published May 5, 2025 | Read Full Story by Peter Talbot

Kayla Vallee, 40, was killed on Dec. 9 at a University Place apartment complex. A vigil is being held in her honor on Saturday outside the building. By Delilah Kieffer

NO. 2: PIERCE COUNTY MOTHER OF 5 WAS KILLED AMID CUSTODY ISSUES. HERE’S THE PUNISHMENT

The victim, Kayla Vallee, 40, was a medical dispatcher at the University of Washington. | Published May 13, 2025 | Read Full Story by Peter Talbot

22-year-old Gianna Stone went to Bainbridge High School and Kingston High School. Her last job was at the Kingston Ferry Terminal. By Courtesy of Mike Stone

NO. 3: WOMAN WAS KILLED IN RANDOM PUYALLUP ROBBERY. NOW 2 TEENS HAVE BEEN SENTENCED

Gianna Stone, 22, was fatally shot Feb. 25, 2024, at a park. | Published May 20, 2025 | Read Full Story by Peter Talbot

NO. 4: LAKEWOOD GAS STATION’S PRIVATE GUARD WAS FATALLY SHOT. FINAL DEFENDANT SENTENCED

The gunman, 36-year-old William McMullen, claimed he shot the man in self defense. | Published June 10, 2025 | Read Full Story by Peter Talbot

Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies encountered a person shooting a rifle from the window of a pickup truck in the Puyallup area on the night of Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. After shots were exchanged the suspect surrendered near the corner of 192nd St Ct E and 82nd Ave E in Puyallup. The suspect was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries then booked into the Pierce County Jail. No deputies were injured in the encounter. By Pierce County Sheriff's Department

NO. 5: PIERCE COUNTY MAN SENTENCED FOR SHOOTOUT WITH DEPUTIES WHO FIRED 79 SHOTS AT HIM

The 40-year-old man was in his truck with his dog during the exchange of gunfire in a residential neighborhood. | Published June 24, 2025 | Read Full Story by Peter Talbot

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.