Teen faces murder charge in Tacoma gang killing
TACOMA, Wash. (AP) - A fugitive teen wanted in connection with 2010 gang killing has been extradited to Pierce County from Mexico.
The Pierce County Prosecutor's office said Monday that a judge will determine whether 18-year-old Naitaalii Toleafoa will be tried as a juvenile or an adult. He is charged with first-degree murder, assault and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Prosecutor Mark Lindquist says Toleafoa should be prosecuted as an adult because of the violent, adult-style gang crime.
Toleafo was 15 when prosecutors say he and Juan Ortiz went to the north Tacoma home of gang leader Juan Zuniga on May 12, 2010. Zuniga was gunned down, and another man was wounded. Prosecutors say Toleafoa and Ortiz fled.
Toleafoa has been on the run for more than two years. Ortiz is believed to be still in Mexico.
Seven people have been convicted of felonies in Zuniga's death.
The Pierce County Prosecutor's office said Monday that a judge will determine whether 18-year-old Naitaalii Toleafoa will be tried as a juvenile or an adult. He is charged with first-degree murder, assault and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Prosecutor Mark Lindquist says Toleafoa should be prosecuted as an adult because of the violent, adult-style gang crime.
Toleafo was 15 when prosecutors say he and Juan Ortiz went to the north Tacoma home of gang leader Juan Zuniga on May 12, 2010. Zuniga was gunned down, and another man was wounded. Prosecutors say Toleafoa and Ortiz fled.
Toleafoa has been on the run for more than two years. Ortiz is believed to be still in Mexico.
Seven people have been convicted of felonies in Zuniga's death.
None of you know the story story, Always two sides the Medias & the person. He is a good smart kid he just made wrong decisions/choices and it lead him and his friend to this point in life b/c this so call "leader" made them do bad things, Its a hard life when you get into a gang once your in you cant get out all you know is the streets and your "homies".
Pierce County AND Tacoma do not tolerate gang violence.  Unlike Seattle and King County, they go after the gang banger's and work with the Feds to see their leaders go to federal prison and the minions like this idiot go to Walla Walla.
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None of the Council people are responsible; it is the law enforcement and the County Prosecutor, Mark Lundquist.
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No sanctuary city in that county.
Yeah, he looks very repentant.
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Why not just give him a year then release him to kill again. We can see in Bellevue how well that works--Tuba Man murderer just killed again....
@Iconoclast He will be out in 5-7 thats the average for a muderer in this joke legal system.
A samoan in a sureno gang lol.
@SolntsevskayaBratva my thoughts exactly!!! confused young man.
Tacoma has always been a bad town for reasons including gangs. It makes me SICK to even just drive through on i5 CLEAN IT UP NOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tacoma is the stinking armpit of Washington
I said it before, and I will say it again; our legal system is a mess - it is a business, first and foremost. Â The judges, prosecutors, lawyers, clerks - anyone who works for the legal system is an employee of the system.Â
 @Pegasus actually the proliferation of guns into society is a mess but Merry Christmas.
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It's Christmas ya know
Just keep up the WA strategy, tell him he was a bad boy, and let him go! Make sure to tell him to behave from now on! It works with all the others this state is prosecuting as juveniles!
 @WhatdidIsay? Just like the killers of tuba man and now probably someone in the bar in Bellevue.
The guy should have stayed in Mexico. Why would the U.S. want this little creep. So he offed another bad guy, and took off to Mexico. He is now our problem again. Trust me in this State he won't spend that much time. It's called catch and release.
@Telman@ Dam your good or experienced with the joke system of washington.
@Telman@ Right, why did we extraditing him to seek justice for a drug daler/gang member/whatever loser?
 @Telman@ That is kind of what I was thinking......
 @Telman@ The article said he was extradited from Mexico. That means he came here against his will to face the charges. I just hope they charge him as an adult. Makes me wonder how Mexico caught him.
 @jcman  @Telman@ He didn't pay the "protection" fee!
Hmmmm.... I remember the story. A bunch of dirt bags killing one another. No hope for any of them, they're all steeped into the gang life and can't change without dying, the life won't allow it any other way. Rabid animals. Just put them down before they bite you.Â
@SargeMcC Are you familiar with the Chris Newsom and Channon Christenson case in Knoxville? Law must be made a carjacker gets one hundred yrs in prison no 80 or 50 100 yrs.
He'll probably spend the rest of his life in prison and his adult life is just getting started. what a waste.
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http://www.fugitivehunter.org/usmostwanted.html
@wages77 you are not familiar with washington state legal system he will be out in 5-7 yrs. You only need research past cases tuba man murders unacceptable so called punishment. Now two of the three convicted have gun crimes.
 @wages77 Yep, Weight "rooms", College Education, what a waste.
Hey, how's that bleeding-heart "sanctuary state" working out for... oh, yeah.
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Not so great.
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Hang 'im HIGH!
KOMO has the ability to edit these articles, and they have already once, and yet it still says "passion of a firearm."
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Why?Â
And here is the same article on another Fisher website with the same silly error.
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 http://www.katu.com/news/local/Teen-faces-murder-charge-in-Tacoma-gang-killing-184708631.html
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 @lakeview Looks like they finally fixed it.
I am so shock to see people want this guy charge as an adult after all he killed a gang leader.  Everyone wants these gang members out of here and not to have a problem with them. So, when one gang member kills a leader, I expected to hear- Cool, thanks for taking care of this POS for us, and release him back to Mexico. There is either allot of two face people on here or a new group of people is commenting. Sorry but this really blows me away. I will not say if he should be charge as an adult or not. I will like to know who he is now. Is he out of the gang life and what happen was just a dumb gang member kid, or is he still the same person. That would weigh on what I think should happen.Â
@Just my say I agree!!!!
 @Just my say Problem is, he is just as bad as the guy he killed and just probably wanting to take his place, so it doesn't leave us any better off.
 @Just my say Should we make it legal to kill gang members you think? Could be a good idea, but I don't think you will get a majority vote on it!
 @WhatdidIsay?  @Just my say Has my vote!
 @WhatdidIsay?  @Just my say Heck I'd vote for open season on those guys! But I suppose we do have to follow our laws, but darnit, I think we could actually sell tags for them.
 @Susabelle The old "Wanted" posters need to make a come-back that offered rewards for the scum dragged in... "DEAD OR ALIVE".
"The Pierce County Prosecutor's office said Monday that a judge will determine wether 18-year old Naitaalii Toleafoa will be tried as a juvenile or an adult. HE IS CHARGED WITH FIRST-DEGREE MURDER, ASSAUALT and UNLAWFUL PASSION OF A FIREARM."
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Is it just me or are these "sensible gun control" laws already getting out of hand?
We do not need more laws or more lawmakers.
We just need equal informant of all laws and remove the redundant laws.
The problem is not the gun laws, in this particular case.
It is the Obama coddling minorities and illegal immigrants.
When you consider Obama wants to destroy these USA, his agenda is on track.
He's been on the run for over TWO YEARS! You think he deserves to be tried as a juvenile? HELL NO he doesn't! Prosecute his butt as an adult!
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Adult crimes = adult time
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Sounds more like Samoan to me.
 @nunof uors Naitaalii Toleafoa, Mexican?  Are you sure about that.
I really love my guns too, but I'm law abiding. Is it still "unlawful passion?" *snicker*
@Wolfen why R U a felon, if so you R not allowed to have a firearm. Please respond w/name to run U on ncsi.
@nunof uors, first, please learn how to read; Wolfen said he is law abiding, second learn how to spell, for Gods sake.
@nunof uors Please learn to type like an adult rather than a second grader, and learn to comprehend what you read before making requests. Thank you.
@nunof uors His name is NUNOF UORS business!
 @nunof uors Wrong, felons can get their gun rights back.
Imagine that...unlawful possession of a firearm...because he is a convicted felon...Gun control laws work great....a new law is bound to stop criminals.
He's 18 years old in a gang style murder and has run away to Mexico for 2 years! Charge the punk as an adult!
Whats "unlawful passion of a firearm"? ;) Im certain the writer meant possession, of course.
 @DarkRenegade Wow. now THAT'S a kink that could be dangerous. And here I though that story about a guy and the horse was out-of-mainstream...
@DarkRenegade The writer had something else on their mind! *wink wink*
 @DarkRenegade Yeah I wasn't aware we had to have legal passion for that kind of stuff! LOL!