Monthly Archives: April 2023

29th Tacoma Homicide of 2021: Gaylee Anne Valente Curcio

Posted on April 24, 2023 | Leave a comment

Weeks before her murder 44-year-old Gaylee Anne Valente Curcio knew her life was in danger. Gaylee’s 39-year-old ex-boyfriend had tried to choke her and dragged her by the hair. So she got a restraining order against him.

Eleven days before her murder Gaylee received text messages from her ex-boyfriend threatening to kill her and her family.

Two days before her murder Gaylee’s vehicle’s windows were smashed and the power to her apartment was cut. Charging papers state he sent a message to Gaylee that read, “You can’t hide we love the hunt.”

At 7:45am on November 5, 2021 Tacoma police responded to a call of a disturbance in the 3100 block of South 9th Street and found a 41-year-old women bleeding from multiple stab wounds. She told them that she had heard an argument and tried to help a woman who was being attacked. The police officers were led to Gaylee’s home where they found her. Gaylee’s ex-boyfriend had stabbed her at least ten times. Both women were taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital where Gaylee later died of her wounds becoming Tacoma’s 29th homicide of 2021.

Gaylee’s ex-boyfriend was arrested five days after her murder.

Gaylee did everything you’re supposed to do if you’re afraid of a former partner. It did not save her. And now each one of her family and friends are left with a hole in their life that can’t be patched.

I was unable to find much out about Gaylee Anne Valente Curcio. It appears she lived in Chico, California for a while before coming to Tacoma. In situations like this, I rely on friends and family of Gaylee to share thoughts or memories they have of her in the comments below.

– Jack Cameron

TacomaStories is always free. If you’d like to support our work, you can donate at this link. Thank you.

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Posted in 2021 Homicides, Tacoma Crime, Tacoma Homicides

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We Are Moving

Posted on April 23, 2023 | Leave a comment

Hello, everyone. Since this site began in 2005, it has been hosted on WordPress. WordPress has been a good home for TacomaStories, but I feel it’s time for a change.

Beginning on May 1, 2023 TacomaStories will be hosted on Substack.

There are a number of reasons for this change, but the first and foremost one is that Substack is not ad based. While I’ve avoided selling advertisements on TacomaStories during the nearly 20 years the site has been active, WordPress charges me money if I want to remove their advertisements.

I don’t mind offering TacomaStories for free and intend to continue to have no paywalls on TacomaStories, but I’d prefer it not actually cost me money to do this.

And so TacomaStories is moving to Substack.

If all goes as planned, you won’t have to do anything at all to keep accessing TacomaStories.

That said, it has never been easier to support TacomaStories. You can subscribe for free or you can choose to support TacomaStories financially with a paid subscription. Both free and paid subscribers will receive all the same posts.

Think of it like PBS. Most people just watch, but it’s made possible by people who offer financial support.

You don’t have to. It’s not required. But if you’d like to help me offset the costs of website maintenance, research, and other resources, I’d really appreciate it.

Click the link below to sign up for the new website. Or just wait until May and go to TacomaStories.com.

https://tacomastories.substack.com

– Jack Cameron

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28th Tacoma Homicide of 2021: Raymond Williams

Posted on April 17, 2023 | Leave a comment

October 21st was a sunny day. One of those fall days that could be mistaken for the last days of summer. Raymond Williams, 22 had gotten in the back seat of his sister, Maria’s Grand Marquis with his girlfriend, Tasha. Maria’s son, Emery sat in the passenger seat. It was just after 4:20pm when the gunshots started.

Maria was shot as she tried to get out of the car. Tasha barely got out before she was shot. Emery ran and was shot by the gunman. And Raymond Williams was shot in the back of the head and shoulder. He would survive the initial shooting, but die at the hospital becoming Tacoma’s 29th homicide of 2021 and the fourth and final Tacoma homicide that day.

A week would pass before the man responsible was identified and arrested. Police and prosecutors were unable to find a connection between any of the victims and the man who murdered the four of them. The only link anyone has found is that the man and Tasha were in 5th Grade together. The man was charged with four counts of Aggravated First Degree Murder and faces a life sentence if convicted.

Raymond lived with his mother, Marlene. She has health problems. He would make sure she took her medications, and had regular meals. He doted on her. He and his girlfriend Tasha would sometimes bring food packages to homeless individuals. He was the sort of person who would pick up litter. Raymond understood the value of family and community. He was looking forward to his future with Tasha. They had planned that future and in moments, it was stolen from them.

As always, the comment section is reserved for those who knew Raymond and want to share thoughts or memories of him.

–Jack

TacomaStories is always free. If you’d like to support our work, you can donate at this link. Thank you.

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Posted in 2021 Homicides, Tacoma Crime, Tacoma Homicides

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27th Tacoma Homicide of 2021: Emery Iese

Posted on April 10, 2023 | Leave a comment

Emery Christopher Thomas Iese was sitting in the passenger seat of his mother’s Grand Marquis in an alley near their house. His 42-year-old mother sat in the driver’s seat. His 22-year-old uncle, Raymond and his Raymond’s 22-year-old girlfriend, Tasha were in the back. The weather on October 21, 2021 was bright and sunny.

At 4:22pm, a 22-year-old man who lived half a mile away and had a history of mental illness approached the car and opened fire with a 9mm pistol. Emery’s mother was shot before she could get out of the car. As bullets continued to fire, Emery got out and ran across the yard until he tripped. The gunman chased him down and despite Emery telling the man not to fire, the man shot him at arm’s length. Emery was Tacoma’s 27th homicide of 2021 and the third one of four that day.

A week would pass before the man responsible was identified and arrested. Police and prosecutors were unable to find a connection between any of the victims and the man who murdered the four of them. The only link anyone has found is that the man was in 5th Grade with one of the victims. The man was charged with four counts of Aggravated First Degree Murder and faces a life sentence if convicted.

Emery was a graduate of Chief Leschi School just four months before his death and had plans to go to college. He wanted to be a teacher. He was the family comedian, but his passions were music and art. He was also dedicated to his friends and family. He was often the one to organize outings. He made sure in his nineteen years of life that his friends and family would have good memories of him.

As always the comment section is reserved for those who knew Emery and want to share thoughts and memories of him. 

–Jack

TacomaStories is always free. If you’d like to support our work, you can donate at this link. Thank you.

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26th Tacoma Homicide of 2021: Natasha Brincefield

Posted on April 3, 2023 | Leave a comment

Twenty-two year old, Natasha Brincefield went by Tasha. Her boyfriend was Raymond Williams. He was in the back seat with her. His 42-year-old sister, Maria and her 19-year-old son. Emery sat in the front seats of the Grand Marquis in the alley near Maria’s house in Tacoma’s Salishan on a sunny afternoon on October 21, 2021.

At 4:22pm, a 22-year-old man who lived half a mile away and had a history of mental problems opened fire on the car with a 9mm pistol. Tasha barely got out of the car before she was shot in the head becoming Tacoma’s 26th homicide of 2021 and the second of four that day.

A week would pass before the man responsible was identified and arrested. Police and prosecutors were unable to find a connection between any of the victims and the man who murdered the four of them. The only link anyone has found is that the man was in 5th Grade with one of the victims. The man was charged with four counts of Aggravated First Degree Murder and faces a life sentence if convicted.

Tasha worked for Frito Lay stocking store shelves. When she wasn’t working she was helping family members, hanging out with her brother and sister, or motivating younger students by speaking at her former high school. She also had a love of the ocean. Tasha and her boyfriend Raymond were planning a life together. A family. That future, that Tacoma Story was stolen from her, from her family, and from all of us.

As always, the comment section is reserved for those who knew Tasha and want to share thoughts or memories of her.

–Jack

TacomaStories is always free. If you feel our work is valuable and you’d like to support it, you can donate at this link. Thank you.

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Posted in 2021 Homicides, Tacoma Crime, Tacoma Homicides

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