A 35-year-old Tumwater man was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the death of his fiancee, who was shot to death in Pennsylvania in 2012, according to news reports out of Erie, Pennsylvania.
The man was arrested at the entrance gate to Joint Base Lewis-McChord by the base's military police, with help from the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division and the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, according to the Erie news article. The Tumwater man is a transportation officer, according to court documents.
The man is being held in Pierce County on charges of alleged homicide, aggravated assault, possessing a deadly weapon, and recklessly endangering another person. He will be extradited to Pennsylvania.
According to the Erie news article, Lexie Castile was living with her son and the Tumwater man at the time of her death. She was found Sept. 16, 2012, with a gunshot wound to the head. The man called 911 to report Castile had shot herself.
Police arrived and found a 9mm pistol lying on the bed, along with an empty magazine and 16 live bullets. The officers found one empty casing on the floor.
The man told investigators he and his fiancee did not fight that night, but he later said they did. He tested positive for gunshot residue on both hands and on the shoulder of his shirt. Castile's autopsy showed it would have been difficult for her to have shot herself.
Reports also state witnesses heard some sort of disturbance the night of the shooting. But in 2017, YourErie reported the District Attorney's Office in Pennsylvania told Castile's family there wasn't enough evidence to move the case to trial.
Then on July 7 of this year, Pennsylvania detectives presented a judge with a criminal complaint with charges against the Tumwater man, which led to his arrest.
