Man who killed Pierce County deputy to get life without parole, sheriff’s spokesman says

Frank Pawul will plead guilty Friday to fatally shooting Pierce County sheriff’s Deputy Daniel McCartney earlier this year and receive life in prison without parole, according to a department spokesman.

Pawul, 33, will plead guilty to first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, unlawful possession of a firearm and conspiracy to commit first-degree robbery in an 8:30 a.m. court hearing, sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said.

“This hearing marks a step in the journey for justice for Daniel, but it is not the last step,” Troyer said, noting that two other people remain on trial in the Jan. 7 killing of the deputy.

There was no plea deal, Troyer said.

Space in the courtroom is expected to be limited Friday, so well-wishers are asked to show support outside about 8:15 a.m., Troyer said.

Samantha Dawn Jones, 29, and Brenda Troyer, 52, are still held pending $2 million bail on charges of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping. Brenda Troyer is of no relation to the sheriff’s spokesman.

Charging papers give this account of the night McCartney was shot:

Troyer dropped off Pawul and 35-year-old Henry Carden near a mobile home in the 20000 block of 45th Avenue Court East in Frederickson, where they set off to rob a mobile home frequented by drug dealers.

The residents called 911 about 11:24 p.m. to report a home invasion, and McCartney was dispatched there. Six minutes later, he radioed that he had arrived at his destination.

Shortly after, he reported “shots fired” over the radio. That was his final transmission.

Other deputies arrived and found McCartney with a fatal gunshot wound, and found Carden nearby with several gunshot wounds, including a self-inflicted shot to the head that killed him.

Pawul was found eight hours after the shooting, when he tried to get through a police checkpoint while shivering, soaking wet and filthy, bleeding from his hands.

Five people were home during the robbery, including two toddlers. One of the adults escaped through the window and made the 911 call.

Deputies tied Troyer to the crime as the getaway driver after obtaining a search warrant for Pawul’s phone. Jones was a passenger in Troyer’s car.

McCartney, 34, of Yelm, is survived by his wife and three young sons.

This story was originally published August 2, 2018 at 8:12 PM.