‘Me or him.' Tacoma man charged with fatally shooting 66-year-old stepfather
Prosecutors charged Jason Matthew Frederick, 45, with first-degree murder for the shooting.
A plea of not guilty was entered on Frederick's behalf during his arraignment Friday. Pierce County Superior Court Judge Pro Tempore Meagan Foley set his bail at $1 million.
The victim has not yet been identified, pending confirmation from the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office.
Officers were dispatched at 5:24 p.m. to a home in the 5800 block of Pacific Avenue after a woman reported her son, Frederick, just shot her husband. She said it was intentional and the victim was Frederick's stepfather, according to charging documents.
Frederick walked down the stairs when officers arrived and complied with their demands, documents show. The victim was sitting in a recliner near a pool of blood. He appeared to have been shot in the back of the head and was dead, which was later confirmed by firefighters.
A search of the home showed the shotgun used in the shooting was partially concealed in a case located in a basement bedroom, according to documents.
Frederick's mother told officers that her son had been 'acting crazy lately' and her other son tried to stop the defendant from shooting the man, document show.
After officers advised Frederick of his Miranda rights, he allegedly told police that his stepfather had been been starving him and that he 'prevented a bunch of bad things from happening.' When asked by an officer how he did that, Frederick allegedly said, 'I shot him ... I shot [the victim,]' according to charging documents.
Frederick allegedly said he intended to shoot the victim with the shotgun. He allegedly told police, 'He's been married to my mom for a long time ... things just started getting more intense, you know. It got to feeling like it was gonna be me or him first,' documents show.
His mother told detectives in an interview at Tacoma Police Department Headquarters that Frederick had been living in the home after he was injured in a car crash, documents show.
His mother alleged Frederick had been 'abnormally paranoid' and focused on his stepfather, documents show. She said there had been arguments between the two but did not know of any physical altercations.
She said before the shooting, she was making dinner and her husband was in his recliner in the living room, documents show. She saw Frederick allegedly carrying a shotgun when he walked towards his stepdad. She heard a gunshot and shouted, 'You just shot my husband.' Frederick allegedly responded with, 'Yeah, I shot him.' He then went upstairs until police arrived, according to his mother.
Frederick made several allegations against the victim, at one point claiming he was a 'computer scammer' and that he was mentally abusive, documents show.
Frederick told detectives that before the shooting he was stuck in the basement most of the day, documents show. He allegedly reiterated that 'it got to a point where I felt it was either me or him, documents show.'
He said that he allegedly got the shotgun from its case, put one shell in and '...went upstairs... execution style,' documents show. Frederick allegedly described to detectives shooting his stepfather in the head and his mother's reaction. When his mother asked him why, Frederick allegedly replied, 'Well, I think you know why.'
Court records show Frederick has previous convictions, including driving with a suspended license from 2007 in Gig Harbor and driving under the influence in 2005.
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