Man pleads guilty to fatal stabbing in Tacoma over alleged drug sale dispute
A man accused of fatally stabbing an acquaintance over the sale of prescription drugs has pleaded guilty to the crime.
Taldon Maddock, 28, pleaded guilty Oct. 7 to second-degree murder in Pierce County Superior Court. Maddock was charged with killing 21-year-old Deon McGhee in March 2020.
Maddock is to be sentenced Nov. 4. Prosecutors will recommend to the judge that Maddock spend 12 years in prison, the low end of the standard sentencing range.
A charge of intimidating a witness was dismissed as part of a plea agreement.
In his plea statement, Maddock said he wasn’t pleading guilty to the fatal stabbing of McGhee because he was guilty but because he wanted to take advantage of the plea agreement. He said if the case went to trial, “there is a substantial likelihood I may be found guilty.”
Maddock was arrested for investigation of the murder March 27, one day after an arrest warrant was issued for him.
Police suspected Maddock and McGhee went together to buy Xanax for Maddock March 25. Just after 10 p.m. that night, 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, according to the declaration for determination of probable cause.
When police arrived, officers found McGhee sitting on the front porch of a nearby home bleeding profusely. He was taken to an area hospital, where he died of multiple sharp force injuries to the neck.
Prosecutors wrote that McGhee and Maddock spent several hours together with Maddock’s uncle earlier that day. According to the probable cause statement, Maddock talked about wanting to get Xanax, and McGhee offered to help.
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. The officer asked Maddock to describe what happened again, and Maddock changed a few details about the incident but said all three men ran in different directions after the crash.
Maddock did not specify how McGhee got his stab wound, but claimed it was self-defense, records say.
