Crime & Safety
Victim Identified In Probable Homicide Friday At Western State Hospital
29-year-old man reportedly got into confrontation with another man being held on court-ordered civil committment.
Lakewood Police detectives met with the Pierce County Prosecutor this morning to brief them on the details of the death investigation at . Detectives also attended the autopsy of the victim at the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The victim has been identified as Paul Montefusco, 29. According to a news release from the police department, an official cause of death has not been issued at this point.
The subject arrested Friday is a 40-year-old male who will not be named until he is charged. He was booked into the Pierce County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder. The Prosecutor’s office has filed a declaration to hold the man for 72 hours while they review the case for a charging decision.
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According to the police department, both the suspect and Montefusco were at Western State on court-ordered civil commitments. The confrontation started when Montefusco came into the suspect’s room and urinated on him, and then started masturbating on or near him. The suspect became upset and a fight ensued.
The suspect confessed to pushing a pen into Montefusco’s ear. There was blood around Montefusco’s head and a substance later identified as shaving cream around his face. The suspect admitted to putting shaving cream on Montefusco’s face, but did not say why.
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Patch will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.