Maleke Pate found guilty in Tacoma quadruple murder trial

Maleke Pate found guilty in Tacoma quadruple murder

A jury has found Maleke Pate, a man accused of randomly killing four innocent people in Tacoma, guilty of four counts of murder.

TACOMA, Wash. - A jury has found Maleke Pate, a man accused of randomly killing four innocent people in Tacoma, guilty of four counts of murder.

Pate was accused of the Oct. 2021 killings of 42-year-old Maria Nunez-Iese, her son, 19-year-old Emery Iese, Nunez-Iese’s brother 22-year-old Raymond Williams, and Williams’ girlfriend, 22-year-old Natasha Brincefield.

"It’s the news that we were looking for. There was no doubt in my mind that Maleke did this,' said Lauvale Iese.

Iese's wife, Maria, son, Emery, brother-in-law, Raymond, and friend, Natasha were murdered.

He tells FOX 13 Seattle when the verdict was read he first looked at his children, but then looked directly at Pate.

"There were two things I was looking for; why he did this, and an apology. But he was not remorse{ful}, not one bit. From the moment we came in, he laughed. He smirked," said Iese.

During the trial, the defense did not call a single witness. Iese and other family members said they wanted Pate to take the stand. They wanted some sort of answer. They said they know they most likely will not get that now, but they have some sort of closure.

"To hear it one by one — guilty, guilty, guilty — you know. It’s what I’ve been waiting to hear. I have some peace, you know. I do, a little. But it’s going to hurt a long time. But at least I have peace that he is going to be in there," said Marlene Williams.

Williams was the mother of Maria Nunez-Iese and Raymond Williams, and the grandmother of Emery Iese, as well as a friend of Natasha Brincefield.

Aggravated murder carries a mandatory life sentence. Sentencing is scheduled for April 11.

During the trial, the prosecution broke down the evidence in the case piece by piece. Deputy prosecuting attorney for Pierce County, Sunni Ko, talked about doorbell camera footage that captured, which investigators say shows Pate fleeing from the murder scene.

Ko referenced evidence found inside Pate’s home, including the gun investigators say forensically matched the murder weapon.

Ko also mentioned jail phone calls between Pate and his mother that were recorded. Investigators say these phone calls show the two schemed a defense in which they claim Pate’s mom had a lot of sexual partners, and that the gun could have come from one of them.

Ko said during her opening statement there is still no motive.

"Just to hear it again, it’s still raw, you know? Hearing it, and hearing the other things we didn’t hear, like the evidence and all that footage and, of course, pictures. It helps to know that everything is falling where it should be," said Iese.

Defense attorney Travis Currie focused on the state’s case, which he said is based off circumstantial evidence.

"You’re going to end up coming back with a verdict of not guilty," said Currie. "You need to keep your ears and eyes to what you actually see, or don’t see produced by the state."

Prosecutors allege ‘scheme‘ between suspect, mother

During the trial, recordings of what investigators say is Pate speaking to his mom were played in court.

This is an excerpt from the recordings:

"Listen to what I told them. I said, I said, I said, I said, I said my mom’s a whore and, and doesn’t know who’s in and out of the house, because whoever’s in there gets her high. That’s what I told them."

The prosecution stated these recordings show Pate actively concocting a defense strategy, despite knowing that jail phone calls are recorded.

Here is another clip from the recordings:

"Ain’t got no fingerprints on this gun. You ain’t got no fingerprints on nothing. It ain't mine. I give a f--- about how anyone feels. You ain’t got no actual face shot where I look you in your eyes on camera. That ain’t me."

The prosecution addressed these statements by also showing surveillance video of the person who investigators say is the murderer, compared to pictures of clothes found in Pate’s room and tattoos he has on his arms.

Before the jail calls were played in court, defense attorney Travis Currie tried to get the evidence thrown out.

"These are recordings of phone calls made by somebody who entered my client’s pin number and nothing else," said Currie.