In the spring of 1989, the community of Tillicum, Washington, was unsettled by the discovery of the body of 46-year-old Sally Jo Tsaggaris. On May 5, 1989, the female victim was found deceased in a brushy area near the Tacoma Country and Golf Club, a location that starkly contrasted with the violent nature of the crime. The initial investigation into her death would soon evolve into a multi-state homicide case, stretching across the country and involving a suspect linked to other brutal killings.
For over a year, the case of who was responsible for Sally Jo Tsaggaris's death remained a troubling question for investigators in Pierce County. The breakthrough came in September of 1990, when authorities traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, to interview a man who had been apprehended in connection with her murder. The suspect was identified as Joseph Michael Nissensohn, a 38-year-old from Florida. His arrest in an Atlanta motel room was the culmination of a determined investigation that would link him to a string of violent crimes.
Nissensohn was formally accused of the fatal stabbing of Tsaggaris. The crucial information that led to his arrest came from his estranged wife, Cheryl Rose, who provided police with a detailed account of the events that led to the killing. Following his capture, Pierce County prosecutors announced their intention to seek his extradition to Washington to face first-degree murder charges. At the time of his arrest for the murder of Sally Jo Tsaggaris, Nissensohn had also been charged with the killing of a young girl in California and was considered a suspect in at least three other murders, painting a grim picture of a transient and dangerous offender.
