Homicide suspect found dead in Pierce County Jail
A man charged in a fatal Spanaway shooting killed himself while being held in Pierce County Jail, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Antonio DeJesus Espinoza, 28, was found dead in his cell Jan. 7. Corrections deputies were bringing a meal to Espinoza, who was being housed alone, about 9:40 a.m. when they allegedly found him hanging from his metal bunk bed by a blanket.
The Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet ruled on a cause of death.
A death investigation was immediately launched and found no sign of foul play, sheriff’s Sgt. Darren Moss said.
Espinoza was housed in a maximum security section of the jail where inmates are checked on every 30 to 45 minutes. He was not on suicide watch.
Espinoza was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm in the Dec. 31 homicide of Jim Gastelum, 31. He had pleaded not guilty and was being held on $1 million bail.
No motive was determined in the shooting, but detectives found suspected narcotics in Espinoza’s garage where the shooting occurred.
It was Espinoza’s father who told investigators he saw Gastelum pull up to their home and speak with Espinoza for a few before minutes before his son shot the other man, according to charging papers.
Neighbors reported hearing at least six gunshots.
By the time deputies arrived in the 21600 block of 41st Avenue East, Espinoza had fled in the sedan that Gastelum arrived in. He allegedly held the driver at gunpoint and forced her to take him to an apartment complex, where he found another ride.
Several expended .45-caliber shell casings, money, suspected narcotics and medications were found in the garage, records say.
Espinoza allegedly had fentanyl laced pills on him when he turned himself in three days after the shooting. He’d also cut off an electronic home-monitoring device a judge ordered him to wear after being charged in a March 2021 domestic violence incident where he allegedly beat and threatened to kill his girlfriend.
In light of Espinoza’s death, the homicide charges for Gastelum’s death were dismissed.
