Suspect held on $50,000 bail in Tacoma throat slashing homicide
A man charged with fatally stabbing an acquaintance over the sale of prescription drugs is being held on $50,000 bail.
Taldon Maddock, 27, pleaded not guilty Monday to second-degree murder in the death of Deon 21-year-old McGhee.
He was arrested Friday, one day after an arrest warrant was issued for him.
Police believe the men went together Wednesday to buy Xanax for Maddock.
Just after 10 p.m., several people in the 1000 block of North Villard Street called 911 about a vehicle that crashed into a front yard.
Witnesses reported seeing a man who looked like Maddock walk away.
McGhee sought help at a nearby home. When officers arrived, they found him sitting on a front porch and bleeding profusely.
He was taken to an area hospital, where he died of multiple sharp force injuries to the neck.
Charging papers give this account:
Maddock and McGhee hung out for several hours that day with McGhee’s uncle.
During that time, Maddock expressed an interest in obtaining Xanax and McGhee offered to hook him up.
Maddock sent $300 to McGhee electronically but McGhee claimed he didn’t receive it, records say.
“McGhee told Maddock the money had not come through, and Maddock did the same transaction two more times,” prosecutors wrote in charging papers. “In total, McGhee obtained approximately $900 from Maddock for the purchase of drugs.”
It’s not clear what occurred once the two men drove to allegedly pick up the prescription drugs.
Their vehicle crashed two blocks from where Maddock lived with his mother.
As police investigated the scene, Maddock’s mother approached police with a cell phone so her son could speak with a particular officer.
Maddock claimed he got into an argument with McGhee and McGhee’s uncle and the uncle grabbed a knife from Maddock’s lap, causing the vehicle to crash.
He changed a few details about the incident when twice describing what happened, but said all three men ran in different directions after the crash.
Maddock did not specificy how McGhee got “a large incised wound to his neck” but claimed it was self-defense, records say.
This story was originally published March 30, 2020 at 5:12 PM.
