In the late hours of a Tuesday night in Yakima, Washington, the life of Richard Plumlee, a 43-year-old Caucasian male, was tragically cut short. On December 17, 2019, at approximately 10:20 p.m., police responded to a call of a gunshot victim at the Yakima Inn on North First Street. Upon arrival, officers discovered Plumlee in the parking lot with a gunshot wound to his torso.
Emergency medical aid was administered at the scene by the officers before he was rushed to a local hospital.
Despite their efforts, Richard Plumlee was pronounced dead shortly before 11 p.m. An autopsy later confirmed that a gunshot wound was the cause of death, and the case was officially ruled a homicide. This incident marked the third fatal shooting in Yakima in less than a week, contributing to a growing concern about violence in the area.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, no arrests were made as Yakima Police detectives began their investigation. They obtained a search warrant for a room at the motel and appealed to the public for any information that could lead to a suspect. For months, the case remained under active investigation.
Eventually, a break in the case led to the identification of a suspect. Joshua Glazier was charged with second-degree murder and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm in connection with Richard Plumlee's death. A key witness, Sheila Martin, identified her own nephew, Glazier, as the person who shot Plumlee. Another witness, Martin's grandson, also provided information to law enforcement that implicated Glazier. Following his trial, Joshua Glazier was convicted on both counts and sentenced to a total of 292 months of incarceration for the murder of Richard Plumlee.
