Yelm homeowner charged with murder, accused of shooting man over misplaced items

YELM, Wash. — A Yelm homeowner has been charged with murder after a man was found shot to death inside his home— and he’s the one who called 911.

Deputies with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) arrested Alvaro Cruz-Ibarra Sunday morning.

New court documents that KIRO 7 obtained detail what led up to the arrest.

According to the documents, Cruz-Ibarra called 911 to report that someone had tried to steal his wallet and rifle, but he’d gotten his rifle back and the person was still inside his home.

When law enforcement arrived, they said they found the body of Jose Alcaraz-Caracoza on the floor of the kitchen.

Cruz-Ibarra told deputies, according to the documents, that the two met the night before, when he stopped to help Alcaraz-Caracoza, who’d run out of gas and had his emergency flashers on along the side of the road. The documents state that Alcaraz-Caracoza had locked his keys in his own vehicle at a wedding earlier in the evening and was on his way to get his spare keys in a friend’s car when he hit empty.

The documents state the pair ended up back at the wedding together so Alcaraz-Caracoza could return the borrowed vehicle and retrieve his own. After several hours, the two reportedly left together and went back to Cruz-Ibarra’s place where they kept drinking and eventually hooked up.

Cruz-Ibarra told deputies, according to the documents, that he believed he may have been drugged because he did not remember what happened until he woke up, and he noticed his jewelry, watch, wallet, and keys were missing.

Documents state he grabbed his rifle and confronted Alcaraz-Caracoza, accusing him of stealing his belongings. When he denied it, the documents stated that the confrontation escalated into a fight. Alcaraz-Caracoza reportedly grabbed a knife when Cruz-Ibarra refused to let him leave.

That’s when, according to the documents, Cruz-Ibarra loaded his rifle and shot at him.

“He had a chance to run, and I don’t know why he didn’t run,” Cruz-Ibarra told detectives in the documents.

Detectives said they found Cruz-Ibarra’s wallet inside his washing machine, and his necklace and keys in the cupboard above it.

“The watch and rings were not located, however it appeared more likely that the Defendant misplaced the items in his drunken state rather than Mr. Alcaraz-Caracoza trying to steal them,” the documents read.

The documents also mention that law enforcement has shown up to Cruz-Ibarra’s home in the past for multiple mental issue calls, including a time when he reported people being under his house and inside his water heater. He reportedly refused help.

He is charged with murder in the second degree.

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