Pierce County woman guilty in pellet-gun death Man sentenced for stealing 9K clarinet

Nicole Lynn Johnson, a 49-year-old woman from Pierce County, has admitted to second-degree manslaughter for the fatal shooting of her boyfriend, Ricky Albers, with a pellet gun during a domestic dispute on May 1, 2024. Johnson, who believed Albers was cheating, claimed she was unaware the pellet gun was loaded, a statement that contributed to the plea deal. The autopsy confirmed that a metal pellet had penetrated Albers' lung, leading to his death, which was classified as a gunshot wound. Prosecutors are recommending a sentence of two years and nine months, which includes a deadly weapon enhancement, with sentencing scheduled for March 11, 2025. In a related case, a 25-year-old man was sentenced for stealing a clarinet valued at $9,000 from a Tacoma music store and attempting to sell it to pawnshops.

He pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including first-degree theft and domestic violence residential burglary. The court has opted for a drug offender sentencing alternative, allowing him to serve part of his sentence in prison and the remainder under community supervision. These cases underscore significant issues of domestic violence and property crime in the Pierce County area.