PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — Antonio Ray Perez, 29, was arrested in the killing of his grandfather Tuesday morning, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies were dispatched to a home near Military Road East and 50th Avenue Court East in Frederickson after a woman called 911 at 9:42 a.m., saying her son had killed his grandfather.
Deputies arrived and started making announcements over a loudspeaker for the man to come out of the house. The suspect complied and was taken into custody.
When deputies forced the home’s door open, an 80-year-old man was found dead inside.
Detectives and forensic investigators are at the scene.
The death is being investigated as a homicide.
In a Pierce County courtroom on Wednesday, Perez faced several charges, including first-degree murder and unlawful imprisonment. A judge ordered Perez to undergo a mental health evaluation.
“He will be staying in custody until his competency is established,” Adam Faber, spokesperson for the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, wrote on Wednesday. “If he is later found competent, then he will be officially arraigned and the court will impose new release conditions at that time. If he isn’t found competent, then the court can order competency restoration, which often occurs at Western State Hospital.”
According to court documents, Perez told detectives there was a conspiracy to kill him that involved his grandfather, mother, mother’s boyfriend and his ex-girlfriend. He and his mother had lived at his grandfather’s home for about six years, according to court documents.
Perez also told detectives he punched his grandfather before choking him “until the victim stopped moving,” according to court documents.
Perez’s mother told detectives her son “had been diagnosed with (a) congenital disease that affects hormone production and can be life-threatening,” according to court documents. She said her son wasn’t taking his prescribed medication and accused his mother of lying about his diagnosis, according to court documents.
On Tuesday, Perez’s mother started looking for her father when “her son tackled her and said, ‘Don’t make me kill you.’ He then said he was going to tape her up and ‘give her a second chance at life.’ He was also telling her that the FBI and CIA were after her and that they had asked him to tie her up for them,” according to court documents.
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