Records detail Salishan shooting suspect’s mental health nine months before attack
A Pierce County judge on Monday postponed a hearing to determine whether the man suspected of shooting four people to death in Tacoma is competent to stand trial.
Maleke Pate, 22, was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation when he was charged earlier this month with four counts of aggravated first-degree murder for the Oct. 21 deaths of Maria Nunez, 42; her son, Emery lese, 19; Nunez’s brother, Raymond Williams, 22; and Williams’ girlfriend, Natasha Brincefield, 22.
On Monday, defense attorneys asked for more time to evaluate Pate’s mental health, explaining that they wanted their own expert to be able to evaluate him. Pierce County Judge Edmund Murphy postponed the competency hearing to Jan. 13.
Prosecutors had asked for the evaluation because Pate was involuntarily committed twice in January.
As a result, Pate’s mental health was evaluated by a licensed psychologist Nov. 8 in a 90-minute interview at Pierce County Jail. The psychologist found Pate to have the ability to understand the nature of the proceedings against him and to assist in his defense.
According to the evaluation, Pate was psychiatrically stable and had no acute mood or psychotic symptoms. Pate meets the criteria for bipolar disorder based on the interview and his mental health history, the psychologist wrote. He was previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder when he was involuntarily committed in January.
In court Monday, defense attorneys said they still had concerns regarding Pate’s mental health based on their own interviews with him in jail.
When Pate was involuntarily committed earlier this year, he displayed more serious mental health issues, according to the evaluation.
When Pate was committed to Wellfound Behavioral Health Hospital on Jan. 16, he was admitted as “gravely disabled,” and he stayed for 10 days. During that time, the hospital diagnosed him with bipolar disorder.
“Mr. Pate reportedly evidenced delusional ideation at this time, including grandiose, paranoid, and bizarre delusions,” the psychologist wrote in the evaluation. “He also endorsed auditory and visual hallucinations during this period.”
The hospitalization came after his mother called a crisis line for him. According to a statement submitted to the court by a Tacoma police officer, law enforcement was called to assist the designated crisis responder who was trying to involuntarily commit him.
At the time, his parents said Pate had been running out of their home “constantly”, screaming, talking nonsense and not sleeping at night, according to the psychological evaluation. His mother later said that Pate began showing bizarre behaviors about two weeks prior.
Pate was missing from Jan. 10 to 12 and then arrived at his mother’s house in the early morning wearing only a hospital gown, according to the evaluation. His mother reportedly suspected his behavior was related to his use of psychedelic mushrooms. She kept him at home from Jan. 12 to 16 and called the crisis line when he became agitated.
In Pate’s interview with the psychologist, he reported he has only used psychedelic mushrooms “once or twice,” and first used them two years ago.
Pate’s first involuntary commitment came Jan. 11 when multiple 911 callers reported a teenager, later identified as Pate, was running through the area of 500 99th Street East in Tacoma, according to the TPD officer’s statement. Pate was allegedly ringing doorbells and sometimes trying to force his way inside residences.
Law enforcement made contact with Pate, who was shivering and had a “blank type stare” on his face. According to the officer’s statement, Pate wasn’t able to communicate and did not know where he was. He was involuntarily committed to the hospital.
This story was originally published November 16, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
