Tacoma man pleads guilty to murder on wooded JBLM property

Tacoma – A 52-year-old Tacoma man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to second degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman.  Bobbie Anson Pease admits that in September 2018, he used a baseball bat and gun to murder a 34-year-old woman on federal land, part of Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM).   Prosecutors and defense attorneys have agreed to recommend a 26-year prison term when Pease is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert J. Bryan on October 22, 2021.

According to the plea agreement, Pease was sharing a house with the victim, her daughter, co-defendant Jeremy Warren and others in August and September 2018.  On September 4, 2018, the victim asked Pease and Warren for a ride to a Spanaway convenience store.  The men had a pistol and an aluminum baseball bat in the car.  After going to the store, Pease drove the victim and Warren to a wooded area nearby, claiming he wanted to do some target shooting.  At the wooded area, which was an undeveloped plot of federal land outside the fenced boundaries of JBLM, the men confronted the victims about items they accused her of stealing – a drug pipe and pocket-knife.  The men beat the victim with the bat causing significant head injuries and broken bones.  Then Pease took the pistol and fired three shots into the victim’s head, killing her instantly.  The men left the body in the wooded area and disposed of the bat and the gun at various locations in the Tacoma and Spanaway area.  The gun was ultimately recovered from the Puyallup River. The two made calls to the police attempting to mislead them during the investigation by claiming the victim has left the convenience store with someone else and moved out of state.  On September 13, 2018, the victim’s body was discovered by railroad workers.  Pease and Warren were arrested in late October 2018 after they had relocated to Forks, Washington, to avoid authorities.

Pease has a lengthy criminal history dating back to 1991 in Washington State including: Assault and attempting to elude (Pierce County 2013); Escape (Jefferson County 2003); robbery with a deadly weapon enhancement (Pierce County 2003); witness tampering (Thurston County 2003); theft and attempting to elude (Pierce County 1999); car theft (Thurston County 1999); burglary (Pierce County 1992) and possession of stolen property (Pierce County 1991).  The convictions mean Pease could not legally possess a firearm.

The investigation is being led by the FBI with assistance from the Tacoma Police Department.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Grady Leupold.