In the early hours of a Monday morning in Yakima, Washington, a tragic event unfolded within the walls of a North Third Street apartment, forever altering the lives of a grandmother and her granddaughter. On November 5, 2018, 34-year-old Caucasian female Tiffany LeAnne Roberts died after being shot. The person suspected of firing the fatal shot was her own 87-year-old grandmother, Wanda Lee Roberts.
The arrangement had been one of hope, with Wanda moving in with Tiffany to help her
granddaughter "get her life straightened out". However, the dynamic between the two became fraught with fear, culminating in a desperate 911 call from Wanda around 12:20 a.m. where she reportedly told the operator she "had to shoot" her granddaughter, claiming Tiffany had been threatening her. Police arrived at the apartment to find Wanda at the doorway and Tiffany in the hallway with a gunshot wound to her upper chest. A neighbor later told investigators they had heard a woman yelling "Let me in!" from the apartment.
Tiffany Roberts was rushed to Astria Regional Medical Center, but she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at 1 a.m. Investigators found that the single shot had been fired through Wanda's closed bedroom door. A black handgun and a single shell casing were discovered in her room. Court records revealed a history of turmoil, including a denied protection order Wanda had sought against Tiffany the previous year, citing an incident where Tiffany had allegedly pushed her grandfather.
In the aftermath, Wanda Lee Roberts was arrested and held on suspicion of second-degree murder. During her initial court appearance, her defense attorney argued that she had acted in self-defense. The judge, while acknowledging probable cause for the murder charge, also noted that the case could potentially be viewed as manslaughter or reckless endangerment pending a full investigation.
