TACOMA, Wash. — Darius Trevon Hammond was sentenced to 39 years in prison for killing a woman he had a previous relationship with and leaving her body in a field near a Tacoma church in October.
Hammond, 30, was found guilty of premeditated murder in the first degree in March. He was also found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm.
On the morning of Oct. 28, Tacoma Police Department officers and detectives responded to a Tacoma church near the 3900 block of North Pearl Street after an unresponsive woman was found in a field near the sidewalk.
Around 5:12 a.m., a gas station surveillance camera captured the woman walking through the parking lot while carrying a black duffle bag. She was being followed closely by a man wearing a Chicago sweatshirt, documents state.
She walks south down the street until she and the man are out of view. Just before 5:30 a.m., the man is seen running north past the gas station while carrying the black duffle bag.
The woman, who was pronounced dead at the scene, was found with a puncture wound to the neck, which was later determined to be a gunshot wound, charging documents state.
A 9mm handgun was found in the woman’s coat pocket, which was registered to her but was reported stolen out of King County.
A neighbor who lives bordering the field told police he heard what he thought was a gunshot or firework at around 5:30 a.m. and another gunshot a few seconds later, documents state.
Charging documents state that the woman had domestic violence reports with threats to kill from a prior relationship with Hammond. Another domestic violence no-contact order was also in place between Hammond and his mother, documents state.
Hammond’s mother’s house is within blocks from the crime scene and Hammond is reportedly seen on video footage near the area around 10:41 a.m., documents state.
Hammond was identified by his clothing, which he was seen wearing to the gas station in surveillance video from the day before the killing and by his shoes matching those seen in the camera footage.
Police and SWAT members arrested Hammond at his mother’s home on North Pearl Street just before 1 p.m. on Saturday.
In an interview with police, he said he had a sexual relationship with the victim over the summer but that the relationship had ended. Police asked Hammond when he last saw the victim and he requested a lawyer. Hammond is prohibited from owning or possessing a firearm.
When police searched the residence where Hammond was arrested, they located the victim’s wallet with her ID card and a Chicago sweatshirt, along with a cellphone stuffed into a sock.
If you or someone you know may be experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, text START to 88788 or visit thehotline.org for additional guidance and resources.
Visit the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence website for additional local resources.
Watch KING 5's top stories on YouTube