FEDERAL WAY -- May 19, 2017
Michael Espinosa aka 'Joker' was sentenced in King County Superior Court to 39 years and 8 months in prison after he was convicted of Murder 2nd Degree with a rapid recidivism and gun enhancement. Espinosa shot and killed the victim in Federal Way less than two months after he was released from prison on March 27, 2015.
CAPTURE UPDATE June 11, 2015 --
Probable cause for murder was found at Michael Espinosa's first appearance on Wednesday.
His bail was set at $2 million.
FUGITIVE CAPTURED June 9, 2015 --
Tacoma Police arrested Michael Espinosa, a.k.a. ‘Joker,’ on Tuesday on his DOC warrant.
Tacoma police officers arrived at location in Tacoma to clear a "flop house" that was being boarded up. One officer took a close look at Espinosa, asked him to remove his hat and recognized him from a law enforcement bulletin he had seen and immediately arrested Espinosa without incident!
He is being interviewed by Federal Way detectives in connection with a homicide several weeks ago near Federal Way High School in which a man was killed during an argument over his car.
FUGITIVE WANTED IN FEDERAL WAY and by DOC May 23, 2015 --
Police are investigating a Saturday morning homicide near Federal Way High School, with one suspect being identified.
Federal Way Police spokesperson Cathy Schrock said that detectives were called to a residence near 304th and 14th Avenue South, across from the high school, at 2:10 a.m. Officers arrived to find a 53-year-old Tacoma man in the driveway of a home with a gunshot wound to his head. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he later died of his injuries.
A woman who lived at the residence told investigators that she inside the home when she heard two shots, Schrock said. When she went outside, she found the injured man in the driveway and two men running to the east.
Schrock said that the Tacoma man was in an argument with the suspects over a previous incident in the driveway, and at some point during the argument shots were fired. The two suspects then fled, and a K-9 search of the area failed to find the suspects, according to Schrock.
This browser does not support the Video element.
WANTED: Michael `Joker` Espinosa
Washington`s Most Wanted
Police later named 25-year-old Michael Anthony Espinosa (a.k.a. "Joker") one of the suspects in the homicide. He is described as being 5-8, 185 pounds, with a shaved head and a thin mustache. He also has numerous tattoos, including a "Lokos" tattoo over his right eye, "XIII" and "13" on the back of his head and "M" above his right ear. He was already wanted by the state Department of Corrections on a warrant, and Federal Way Police have now put a temporary felony warrant out on Espinosa.
Schrock says, "He's an 8-time convicted felon. Most of his crimes are assault, drugs, possession of stolen property, stolen vehicles. He has gang affiliations so he has resources to hide and so we know that he was in King County, we know he was in this area, but he also has connections in Eastern Washington and in California."
If you know where Espinosa is, call an anonymous tip into:
CRIME STOPPERS: 1-800-222-TIPS
You must call the Crime Stoppers hotline with your tip to be eligible to receive a cash reward for information leading to a fugitive’s arrest.
CLICK HERE for information on how to TEXT A TIP to Crime Stoppers.