Theft accusation cited in killing of three in Tacoma

Four people have pleaded not guilty in the execution-style killing of three young people at a rental house in Tacoma earlier this month, shootings that police and prosecutors say were committed during an armed robbery.

Ulysses "Moonie" Handy III, 24, his cousin, Darryl David Pierce, 24, and Sirree Tariq Muhammad, 18, remained in the Pierce County Jail without bail after each entered pleas Friday to three counts of aggravated first-degree murder and first-degree robbery. Prosecutors have yet to decide whether to seek the death penalty.

Pierce's girlfriend, Ronee L. Gutierrez, 20, charged with robbery and three counts of felony first-degree murder, remained in jail with bail set at $1 million bail.

Handy, enraged at being accused by Darren S. Christian of involvement in the theft of a valuable jacket, recruited the other three to help him retaliate on Feb. 7, according to charging papers. The bodies of Christian, 28, Lindy A. Cochran, 21, and Daniel J. Varo, 22, were found at Christian's home the next day.

"He was the leader," deputy prosecutor Gerald T. Costello said of Handy. "These allegations demonstrate, if proven, that this man is callous."

Bryan G. Hershman, a lawyer for Gutierrez, said it was possible she "didn't know what was going to happen when she went to that house."

As of Friday lawyers had not yet been appointed to represent Handy, Pierce and Muhammad.

Handy and Pierce were convicted of attacking a man with a baseball bat in 1998. Since being released from prison last fall, Handy has been charged with two counts of first-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm in the shooting and wounding of one man on Oct. 21 and another on Jan. 8.

A photograph of Christian and Handy together as well as postings by Christian and Varo appeared on Handy's Web page at MySpace.com, a social networking site.

Christian, known to carry large sums of cash wrapped around his driver's license and to keep money in a safe in the rental house, accused Handy of being involved in the theft of Christian's jacket, charging papers say.

Handy told Pierce he felt insulted, talked of stealing the safe and told Muhammad "no witnesses would be left behind," prosecutors wrote. Muhammad told detectives he provided Handy with a gun, which Handy later returned. Police have not yet found the weapon, charging papers say.

"This was a planned drug and money rip-off," Costello said Friday. "These people were executed because they were there and they were witnesses."

Investigators wrote that all four went to the house but apparently only Handy went inside. Gutierrez told detectives that after about 15 to 20 minutes, she heard three to four gunshots, Handy emerged with a safe and the group later opened it at the home she shared with Pierce, finding an undisclosed amount of cash and street drugs.

The safe was found at the bottom of a steep hillside and its door had been pried open, charging papers say.

Debra Martsching, Varo's mother, said Friday she had opposed the death penalty but was reconsidering.

"Nothing will bring my son back," Martsching said. "There is no justice for this."