Man accused of directing deadly Tacoma weed store robbery charged with murder
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Prosecutors charge 25-year-old man with second-degree murder in Tacoma pot shop killing
- Federal records allege conspiracy organized 45 armed robberies and recruited teens
- He withdrew a federal plea, faces federal trial in 2026 while murder case remains pending
A 25-year-old man facing federal charges for allegedly orchestrating armed robberies in Pierce and King counties in 2022 and often recruiting teenagers to carry out the crimes has been charged with murder for a deadly pot shop robbery in Tacoma.
Michael K. Miller-Jimerson was charged this month with second-degree murder in Pierce County Superior Court for his part in robbing the World of Weed cannabis dispensary in Tacoma where a budtender, 29-year-old Jordan Brown, was fatally shot.
Prosecutors allege Miller-Jimerson gave directions to three juveniles to execute the robbery. A then 15-year-old boy, Marshon Jones, shot and killed Brown after the employee refused to comply with their demands and defended himself while another teen, Montrell Hatfield, attacked him behind a cash register.
Jones and Hatfield were prosecuted for the murder and a string of robberies, and in February 2024 they were both sentenced to 25 years in state custody.
Meanwhile, Miller-Jimerson and two other men, Shannon Hartfield, 25 and Danesxy Ortega, 22, have been in custody at a federal detention center in SeaTac for allegedly conspiring to organize armed robberies of marijuana stores, pawn shops, jewelry stores and banks between December 2021 and June 2022 in King and Pierce counties.
Detectives have identified 45 armed robberies and attempted armed robberies allegedly committed by members of the conspiracy, according to federal court records, and 10 people associated with Miller-Jimerson or Hartfield have been charged or convicted of felonies related to the scheme.
The federal case is ongoing, with a trial scheduled for May 2026. Miller-Jimerson’s court-appointed attorney in the federal case did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Miller-Jimerson’s murder charge in Pierce County comes after he withdrew a guilty plea in the federal case in May. According to federal court records, it appears that voided a plea agreement with prosecutors which included a stipulation that the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office would not charge him with any crimes related to the robberies.
No court dates have been set for Miller-Jimerson’s murder case. A spokesperson for the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said his detention in federal custody means there’s no rush to summon him to court.
The probable cause document, filed Nov. 7, alleges Miller-Jimerson and three juveniles drove to Tacoma from King County on March 19, 2022 to scope out a marijuana dispensary. They targeted the World of Weed, 3202 Portland Ave., where Miller-Jimerson waited in his vehicle while Jones and Hatfield went inside and the third juvenile acted as a lookout.
Brown’s murder sparked a manhunt that led to the arrest of Hatfield and Hartfield. Jones turned himself in. Although the adults’ involvement in directing the robberies wasn’t publicly reported at the time, defense attorneys for Jones and Hatfield described the larger conspiracy at the teens’ sentencing hearing, telling the judge that the teens were among 15 children recruited by older men to steal and rob from stores.
Gunshots were fired in other robberies tied to the group, but Brown was the only casualty of the armed-robbery spree. At the time, the World of Weed store, which is permanently closed, remembered Brown for his “winning smile” and said he was a highly-respected employee. Originally from Shoreline, Brown lived with his father in Gig Harbor at the time of his death.
Brown’s father later sued King County for wrongful death, alleging the county had been negligent. Jones and Hatfield had been placed on electronic-home monitoring after they were arrested for robbing a pawn shop in Federal Way, but they cut off their ankle monitors days before Brown was killed, and juvenile probation officers didn’t notify law enforcement of the teens’ escape. A Pierce County Superior Court judge dismissed the lawsuit in December 2024.
Even after Jones and Hatfield were arrested for Brown’s death, court records in the federal case say, the robbery conspiracy continued into June, when Miller-Jimerson and others allegedly robbed two banks in the Seattle area and tried to rob a third. Those involved in robbing a Salal Credit Union reportedly made off with $48,690 in cash until two were arrested with the money.
Miller-Jimerson allegedly picked dispensaries to rob, provided firearms and gave juveniles directions by phone during stick-ups. He also stayed nearby in a separate car and divided up the proceeds after the robberies, often keeping a larger share for himself.
