On a summer day in Puyallup, Washington, the life of 42-year-old Samuel David Pichinini, a White male, came to a tragic end. On July 23, 2020, at his mother's home on 9th Avenue Southwest, Pichinini was fatally shot by his 77-year-old stepfather, Terry Chissus. The events of that day were the culmination of a long and difficult history of Pichinini's struggles with mental health and increasingly aggressive behavior that had left his family feeling fearful and threatened.
Leading up to
the fatal encounter, Pichinini's family had become increasingly alarmed by his violent tendencies. His mother described him as having "severe undiagnosed" mental health issues that had worsened over the years. This was compounded by a history of concussions from skateboarding and snowboarding, which later led to a post-mortem diagnosis of Stage 2 Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. In the years before his death, he had become estranged from his family, exhibiting anger, irrationality, and making threats of violence. Law enforcement had a "hazard warning" associated with Pichinini due to alleged threats and a criminal history. On the day of the shooting, Pichinini was berating his mother and stepfather. The situation escalated to the point where Chissus felt his wife was in imminent danger, stating that Pichinini had rushed at her and threatened to "club" her.
In response to what he perceived as a direct threat to his wife's life, Terry Chissus retrieved his shotgun and shot his stepson. Initially charged with second-degree murder, Chissus, who had no prior criminal history, ultimately pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in April 2022. The prosecution acknowledged the well-documented history of Pichinini's aggression and threats towards his family. Multiple family members had reported fearing him due to his violent behavior. The prosecutor's office recommended a sentence of five years in prison, a downward departure from the standard range, citing the mitigating circumstances of Pichinini's behavior and Chissus's frail health at the time of the incident. Chissus was to be sentenced in June 2022.
