Pierce County man who fatally shot father during argument sentenced to prison
A 23-year-old man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for fatally shooting his father during an argument in their home in Spanaway.
Vendell Edward Henderson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder March 19 for the Dec. 30, 2024 incident. Darryl Henderson, 47, died of multiple gunshot wounds to the torso.
The punishment Pierce County Superior Court Judge Timothy Ashcraft imposed was at the low end of the standard sentencing range, which was about 12 to 20 years. The sentence included a two-year deadly weapon sentencing enhancement.
Ashcraft also ordered the defendant to be evaluated for substance abuse and mental health and to participate in any follow-up treatment.
Prosecutors agreed to recommend that length of prison term as part of a plea agreement, court records show. A charge of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm was dismissed as part of the deal.
In a court filing about the amended charge, deputy prosecuting attorney Emily Cox wrote that the defendant had no prior adult felony convictions. She said the state also was taking into consideration mitigation information provided by the defense, and the defendant’s willingness to take responsibility for his actions.
Vendell Henderson was represented by an attorney from the Pierce County Public Defense Conflict Office. Any information about circumstances that mitigated the defendant’s culpability was not publicly filed in the court record.
The defendant’s mental competency to stand trial was called into question early in the case. In February 2025, a psychologist with the state’s Department of Social and Health Services diagnosed him with unspecified depressive disorder but found that he had the capacity to understand the nature of the court proceedings and to assist in his defense.
About three months before Vendell Henderson shot his father, he was admitted to a hospital for homicidal ideation, according to the forensic psychological evaluation. The evaluation states that the defendant reported that his father was released from prison the day before his admission to the hospital, and that he had intense urges to beat him until his father was lifeless.
The defendant was discharged from the hospital a week after his admission. According to the evaluation, his mental health symptoms abated over the course of his hospitalization. He was prescribed several medications when he was discharged and was referred to community-based mental health treatment.
Charging documents in Vendell Henderson’s murder case said the victim’s unsolicited parenting advice seemed to be a point of contention between the father and son. According to the probable cause document, the defendant mentioned several examples after he was arrested and was interviewed by detectives.
The defendant’s mother and younger brother told law enforcement that Vendell Henderson and Darryl Henderson had argued over issues the defendant was having with the mother of his child before the shooting.
Vendell Henderson told detectives he hadn’t slept for three days due to stress and anxiety, according to the probable cause document, and that he had consumed ecstasy and cocaine at a friend’s place earlier that morning.
The defendant said he and his father had a brief argument, and then he went to nap in his room. According to the probable cause document, he recalled waking up at 3 p.m. to his father in his room. Vendell Henderson reported that Darryl Henderson talked to him about his responsibilities and told him he needed to move out of the home.
Vendell Henderson told detectives that they argued for three to five minutes before he retrieved a handgun from under his pillow and shot his father. Henderson reported that the gun had previously belonged to a friend, but that he was given the firearm about three months before the shooting.
In other news out of Superior Court
Driver who pleaded guilty in fatal shooting of National Guardsman gets 10 years
A 20-year-old man who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, drive-by shooting and other offenses for his role in the fatal shooting of a National Guard officer in Fife has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Jedidiah Telani Benjami Taimi was driving a stolen Toyota Camry on Sept. 12, 2023 with Andrew Fonoti in the passenger seat and a 14-year-old boy in the backseat.
The group was traveling on 20th Street East. According to court documents, surveillance video showed Taimi pull into the center turn lane to let a Hyundai sedan driven by Rudolph King III pass.
Taimi pointed a red-colored handgun at King’s vehicle, Fonoti later told detectives with the Fife Police Department. Then Fonoti took the gun from the driver and fired it at King two times.
King was struck in the head and died instantly, according to court documents citing a medical examiner’s report. His vehicle went off the road and hit a lamp post. It’s unclear why Fonoti shot at King. When the Fife Police Department announced it was investigating the homicide, an initial assessment said it was a random attack.
King, 23, was a full-time officer in the National Guard. He was from Milton and was a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University.
Fonoti pleaded guilty in October to second-degree murder, drive-by shooting and other offenses. He was sentenced Nov. 21 to 34 years, nine months in prison.
In addition to murder and drive-by shooting, Taimi pleaded guilty in October to unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
Judge Thomas Quinlan sentenced Taimi on March 18, imposing an exceptional sentence below the standard range, which was about 13 to 22 years.
Prosecutors originally charged Taimi with first-degree murder. In a court filing explaining why prosecutors were moving to amend the charges, deputy prosecuting attorney J. Patrick Vincent wrote that the state and the defense had careful and deliberate negotiations to resolve the case.
Prosecutors agreed to recommend a 10-year sentence as part of a plea bargain, court documents show. Taimi had no prior criminal convictions.
