Woman yelled, ‘He’s going to kill me,’ before husband murdered her in Tacoma, charges say
A Tacoma man has been charged with killing his wife in the presence of their three minor children.
Pierce County prosecutors charged Joseph Ricky Emile, 55, with aggravated first-degree murder and violation of a court order. A plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf at Pierce County Superior Court. A court commissioner set his bail at $5 million during Tuesday’s arraignment, court records show.
An unconscious woman was found at a home in the 6200 block of South Cheyenne Street about 4 a.m. Saturday. Tacoma Police Department officers initially were dispatched to a family disturbance. The 47-year-old woman died at the hospital. Emile was arrested after he was located in Tacoma, according to a previous News Tribune story.
The woman’s brother, Joseph Hursey, told The News Tribune on Monday that the victim’s name was Nodra Emile.
The home that police were dispatched to belonged to the woman’s parents. A witness told police there was an argument between Emile and the victim. The witness said she was downstairs and heard them arguing in an upstairs bathroom. Then, Nodra Emile reportedly yelled, “He’s going to kill me,” prosecutors wrote.
The witness said the couple’s three children were also upstairs and crying. She heard Emile tell them to stop crying. Later, the witness said that the eldest child yelled at Emile and said he needed to “stop hurting mom.” The defendant then left the home with the children, prosecutors wrote.
The witness found Nodra Emile lying on the bed and not breathing. Emergency personnel were able to get a pulse and took her to the hospital. Nodra Emile was reportedly “brain dead but being kept medically alive.” Nodra Emile died that day at the hospital, prosecutors wrote.
Court documents show that ligature marks were found on Nodra Emile’s throat. A Pierce County medical examiner determined her cause of death was strangulation, and the manner was ruled a homicide.
Law enforcement officers found Emile at his home on Saturday. When officers arrived, they saw Emile open his front door, look at them and then quickly shut it. Emile then opened the front door again and complied with the arrest. Emile said he spent the day with Nodra Emile but that they lived in separate locations. He said he left the South Cheyenne home at around 3 a.m. with their children. He said he did not know what happened or why he was being arrested, prosecutors wrote.
Nodra’s brother told police that several months earlier, Emile allegedly came to the South Cheyenne home and fired gunshots into the air, prosecutors wrote.
A witness told officers that the couple had been married for about 16 years years. Emile had custody of the children, prosecutors wrote.
Nodra Emile had an outstanding domestic violence protection order against Emile. It was issued March 23. The order was valid for a year. Emile told detectives he was aware of the protection order but that they always “hang out” because they were trying to bring their family back together. A witness told police that Emile and his wife stayed close to each other for the children, prosecutors wrote.
Emile has prior criminal convictions, including fourth-degree assault and obstructing a law enforcement officer. Two domestic violence reports were filed against Emile in 2009 and 2011, according to charging documents.
Several of Nodra Emile’s family members and loved ones were present at her husband’s arraignment. Hursey told The News Tribune tha the couple’s children are “oblivious” right now.
A court commissioner prohibited Emile’s face from being photographed by the news media during his arraignment.
Hursey said Nodra Emile was a loving mother and she would want the best for her children. The family wants Emile to be found guilty so he could face life without the possibility of parole. Hursey said that would make Emile have time to “see the error of his ways and reflect.”
“We want justice,” he said.
