Tacoma man killed in suspected stabbing attack has been identified
A Tacoma man who died of stab wounds in his Tacoma apartment last week has been identified, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Herman Fletcher III, 61, died from multiple sharp-force injuries on Sept. 11 near the 600 block of South Jackson Avenue. His manner of death was listed as a homicide, the office wrote in a news release.
Joseph Anthony Nasca, 60, was charged with first-degree murder and theft of a motor vehicle in Fletcher’s death. He is being held at the Pierce County Jail on a $2 million bail. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Fletcher was found dead in his apartment after Nasca went to a hospital in Olympia with his own stab wounds. Nasca claimed that Fletcher tried to sexually assault him, and so he stabbed the victim in the neck during an altercation, court records show. He added that he took Fletcher’s phone in case he did survive and tried to call 911, according to charging documents.
Nasca said he stabbed himself in the chest outside the apartment before he drove off in Fletcher’s car, documents show. Two knives allegedly used in the attack were found in the apartment.
Nasca’s next court hearing is scheduled for Oct. 16, according to court records.
