Tacoma Man Accused of Killing Girlfriend, Sending Texts to Loved Ones Posing as Victim
A Tacoma man has been accused of killing his girlfriend after her friends reported receiving strange text messages from her before she was reported missing.
Kendrick Deshaun Bruce, 30, was charged this week with first-degree murder, unlawful disposal of remains and two counts of second-degree identity theft, according to Pierce County Superior Court public records. He pleaded not guilty in court on Thursday.
Prosecutors say Bruce murdered his girlfriend, identified as Dawn Dill-Picket, sometime between March 1 and March 28, as reported by KOMO News.
Friends Said They Could Never Get Dill-Picket to Answer Calls or FaceTimes, Received Strange Messages from Her
Dill-Pickett was first reported missing last month, after a friend living in Idaho requested a welfare check as she had not heard from her since March 23, according to a probable cause declarationby the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Her friends told investigators that, since early March, they could not get her to answer their phone calls or FaceTimes, the probable cause document said. They also received messages from her that “were not consistent” with her past texts and speech, according to investigators.
A man who shares a child with Dill-Pickett told police she once had visible injuries that she blamed on Bruce, and told him that if anything ever happened to her, “Kendrick did it,” the document said.
Bruce Made Google Searches on Body Decomposition, Duration it Takes for One to Bleed Out
Investigators also said they found dozens of searches linked to Bruce’s Google account, which included “how long does it take a body to start stinking after death” and “how long does it take for someone to bleed out.” Dawn-Pickett’s body has not yet been found.
A statement released Thursday by the Tacoma Police Department, which did not name Bruce or Dill-Pickett, said a male suspect was arrested May 15 on identity theft charges in connection with a missing person case. He was then released from custody Monday.
Investigators later found probable cause for first-degree murder, and the same man was taken into custody again Wednesday following a “brief foot pursuit,” police said.
