Charges dropped for second time in 2017 death of Steilacoom man. Here’s why
Felony charges have been dismissed for a second time in the 2017 case of a Steilacoom man found dead in his yard after a Fourth of July barbecue. Assault charges were dropped last month because the defendant was found mentally incompetent.
Tyler James Thiel, 29, was first accused of second-degree murder in the death of his mother’s boyfriend, 52-year-old Stephen Gale. But charges were dropped the month after they were filed in 2017 because the Pierce County medical examiner classified his cause of death as undetermined. Thiel fought Gale before the man died, and Pierce County prosecutors said it was likely Gale died of a heart attack, noting that the organ had a 75 percent blockage.
Prosecutors refiled charges against Thiel in June 2020, accusing him of second-degree assault. Citing the medical examiner’s report, prosecutors stated Gale suffered numerous blunt-force trauma injuries. Thiel failed to appear for arraignment to enter a plea, and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.
Thiel wasn’t picked up by Pierce County law enforcement until Feb. 1 last year. A pretrial services report shows that between May 2020 and January 2023, Thiel was convicted of four crimes in cities near Los Angeles, including for felony burglary and misdemeanor trespassing.
Back in Pierce County, Thiel pleaded not guilty to his assault charge and was held in jail on $25,000 bail.
According to charging documents, Thiel was first arrested in the case hours after his mother called 911 to report that there had been a physical altercation, and her boyfriend, Gale, was “down and hurt” at their home on Lafayette Street.
Officers found Gale face down in the back yard with a large wound on his forehead. CPR was started, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. Thiel fled the area.
Thiel was found in Puyallup, and arresting officers noted he had blood on his hands and clothes. In a subsequent interview with detectives, Thiel allegedly said he got into a fight with Gale after he argued with his mother about wanting to leave Gale’s house. Thiel said Gale was alive when he left the yard where he and Gale had fought.
Police reportedly found a bloody facial impression in the victim’s home that was consistent with Thiel’s account of pushing Gale’s head into a door.
Thiel’s defense attorney found reason to doubt his ability to understand the nature of the proceedings against him or assist in his own defense. On Feb. 14 last year a Superior Court judge ordered that Thiel undergo a forensic mental health evaluation.
A psychologist who evaluated Thiel at Pierce County Jail agreed that he was not competent to stand trial, according to court records, diagnosing him with “unspecified schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorder.”
Two 90-day terms of inpatient treatment at Western State Hospital failed to restore Thiel’s mental competency. Defendants have a right to have a jury or judge decide whether they will undergo a final, 6-month period of competency restoration treatment. Thiel’s attorney from the Department of Assigned Counsel, Chandra Carlisle, made a demand for a jury trial Jan. 17, but the case was dismissed Feb. 23 and Thiel was referred to an evaluation for civil commitment.
Carlisle told The News Tribune on Monday that if there had been a trial, jurors would have been tasked with deciding whether it was likely Thiel could be restored to competency and if he was a danger to others or was likely to commit crimes jeopardizing public safety.
“That can be a really tough question, especially with people who have complicated histories of schizophrenia,” Carlisle said.
A psychologist also considered those questions. In a Jan. 12 report, the Department of Social and Health Services evaluator found there was a substantial probability Thiel’s competency could be restored in a reasonable amount of time.
Carlisle said these evaluations “almost always” come back with this opinion. She said the psychologist is not necessarily looking at the 6-month timeline to restore the person’s competency, just whether they can ever be restored.
At that point in the process, it’s the state’s move, Carlisle said. Instead of go to trial, prosecutors opted to dismiss the case without prejudice and refer Thiel to civil commitment proceedings. The defendant remains at Western State Hospital while those proceedings begin. If Thiel is found competent at a later date, prosecutors could refile charges.
This story was originally published March 5, 2024 at 12:08 PM.
