Did man interrupt car prowl before being fatally shot? Two teenagers charged in killing
Two Tacoma teens are suspected of fatally shooting a man outside a home earlier this month.
A 17-year-old boy has been charged as an adult with two counts of second-degree murder, unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm for the Jan. 9 shooting, court records show.
A plea of not guilty was entered on the teen’s behalf during his arraignment Tuesday afternoon, records show. Pierce County Superior Court Judge Joseph Evans set his bail at $1 million.
Elijah Alexander Andrews, 18, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of second-degree murder. He was charged on Wednesday with two counts of second-degree murder, records show.
A plea of not guilty was entered on Andrews’ behalf, records show. Pierce County Superior Court Commissioner Barbara McInvaille set his bail at $1 million.
The teen and Andrews are accused of killing 53-year-old James Marsh. Marsh died from multiple gunshot wounds, and his manner of death was ruled a homicide, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The News Tribune is not publishing the 17-year-old’s names at this time. KING 5 reported that Evans ordered the teen’s name not be publicly released while the investigation is ongoing.
Charging details
Detectives identified the teenagers as the suspected shooters through surveillance footage allegedly connecting them to several vehicle prowls that took place up until Marsh’s death.
Police were dispatched at 2:21 a.m. to the 4800 block of North 18th Street for reports of shots fired. A man was lying in the street in front of his home when officers arrived. He was injured from several gunshot wounds and was later declared dead at 2:37 a.m., according to a probable cause document.
Officers spoke to 911 callers who reported seeing an older silver vehicle drive away on North 18th Street. There was also a vehicle across the street parked in front of another home with its driver’s side door open, documents show.
Marsh’s girlfriend told detectives she was asleep before police arrived, prosecutors wrote. When she woke up to the police pounding on her door, she realized Marsh was no longer inside the home.
Surveillance footage from their home showed an SUV stopping in the middle of the street in the neighborhood. Two people exited the vehicle, and one of them went up to Marsh’s Land Rover Range Rover. The second person in the video went up to the vehicle that was across the street, prosecutors wrote. They both appeared to be looking into and touching the vehicles.
Another person, presumed to be Marsh, walked from the yard towards the street where the two people were. Footage showed lights flashing between the cars. The two people then ran back to their vehicle and drove off. Documents allege a third person was also involved. Police arrived six minutes later, prosecutors wrote.
Detectives learned there were several vehicle prowls reported in the area just prior to the homicide. There was a Subaru Forester parked half a block to the west with its window broken out, documents show. There was another theft from a vehicle near the homicide scene on North Villard Street where a cell phone was stolen at about 2:09 a.m. Video footage showed one of the suspects had a handgun with a flashlight on it during the theft.
Following the shooting, detectives reviewed video footage connecting several thefts leading up to the homicide. While in the 400 block of Broadway, detectives contacted a teenager, identified as the 17-year-old, who was wearing sweatpants that matched the ones allegedly worn by a suspect during one of those thefts, documents show.
The teen was detained, and detectives noted his face resembled the person captured on video at the Villard Street vehicle prowl, prosecutors wrote.
While detectives were outside with him, two teenagers came out of a nearby apartment. They were carrying two garbage bags. When they saw the detectives, the teens allegedly went back inside.
Detectives searched an apartment where the two charged teens had been residing. Detectives allegedly found four handguns, one with a flashlight on it. Several items of clothing were recovered from a garbage bag, prosecutors wrote. There also were two orange window-breaking type tools, a window-punch tool and several credit/debit cards that had different names on them located in the bedroom, court records show.
The 17-year-old defendant’s girlfriend was interviewed by detectives. She said she fell asleep Wednesday night and he was with her. She woke up briefly at about 3 to 4 a.m., and he was not in the bed with her, she said. When she woke up on Thursday at 9 a.m., he was back at the apartment, prosecutors wrote.
She said she looked up “Tacoma News” online and saw reports of the shooting. She sent her boyfriend a text about it, but he allegedly told her he wasn’t going to talk about it. When asked about the bag of clothes, the girlfriend said that he placed them in the bag and told her it was garbage.
Prosecutors wrote that Andrews turned himself in on Tuesday.
Detectives reviewed several jail phone calls between the 17-year-old and several other people made prior to Tuesday. In one call with his girlfriend, the teenager asked if Andrews was OK. He then asked if law enforcement searched the house. The girlfriend allegedly said, “Yes, they found everything.” She then allegedly said Andrews wanted to take the blame, prosecutors wrote.
Prior to him turning himself in, Andrews spoke to the teenager over a jail phone call on Jan. 11. Andrews allegedly told the teen that he was going to have to tell investigators about the third person who was with them, prosecutors wrote.
At this time, a third suspect has not been arrested or charged with Marsh’s death.
In the phone call, Andrews told the teen to allegedly tell law enforcement that it looked like Marsh was trying to stab him. Prosecutors wrote there was no evidence to suggest that Marsh was armed with a weapon.
