On a Wednesday evening in Buckley, Washington, the life of 55-year-old Steven Standley, a man of Japanese heritage, came to a tragic and violent end. On March 14, 2018, a sense of unease prompted Steven to make a fateful phone call to one of his sons. He reported the unexpected and unwelcome return of his other son, 21-year-old Jared, who had been kicked out of the family home about a week prior. Steven’s concern was palpable as he instructed his son to call 911 if he didn't hear back from him within 15 minutes. That call back never came.
Keeping his father's ominous words in mind, the son who had been called contacted the authorities to perform a welfare check at his parents' residence. When Pierce County sheriff's deputies arrived at the home in the 2300 block of 162nd Street East, they discovered a grim scene. A bullet hole in the glass of the front door was the first sign that something was terribly wrong. Inside, they found Steven Standley deceased from a gunshot wound to the head. Deeper within the home, they located the body of his 56-year-old wife, Theresa, who had been beaten to death and wrapped in a tarp secured with duct tape.
The primary suspect, Jared Standley, was not at the scene. Investigators quickly learned he had rented a car, and an alert was dispatched to law enforcement agencies. Within hours, the vehicle was spotted by a police officer in Tumwater, outside a hotel. When officers confronted Jared, he attempted to flee by driving his car at a Thurston County sheriff's sergeant, which resulted in the sergeant opening fire. Jared was struck in the shoulder, apprehended, and after receiving medical treatment, booked into jail.
During interviews with detectives, Jared Standley confessed to the murders of his parents, stating he killed them because he "hates them that much." He recounted how he first bludgeoned his mother with a bat and then waited for his father to return. When Steven arrived, Jared tried to lure him inside to kill him quietly. As his father attempted to shut the door on him, Jared shot him through the glass. He was charged with two counts of aggravated first-degree murder but pleaded not guilty. Subsequent court proceedings and mental health evaluations revealed that Jared was suffering from a severe mental disorder, experiencing delusions that his parents were gang members and not his real family. Ultimately, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was committed to a mental health facility for treatment.
