In the early hours of a Friday morning in Tacoma, Washington, the life of 61-year-old Terry Northcutt, a White male, was tragically cut short. On October 14, 2016, Northcutt and his friend, 45-year-old Voravangso Phanmana, were fatally shot outside Phanmana’s home in the 3600 block of Portland Avenue East. The incident occurred around 1 a.m., with several people in the neighborhood reporting the sound of gunshots to 911.
When police arrived at the scene, they discovered both Northcutt and Phanmana in the yard of the residence, having succumbed to their gunshot wounds.
Investigators quickly determined that the double homicide was not a random drive-by shooting, though a specific motive for the killings was not immediately clear. Northcutt was a friend of Phanmana and sometimes stayed at the house where the shooting took place. Detectives began the difficult task of piecing together the events of that night, appealing to the public for any information regarding suspicious individuals or vehicles that may have been seen in the area. A report mentioned that a SWAT team had been called to the same residence about eight months prior to the shooting, but it remained uncertain if that incident had any connection to the murders.
Despite the ongoing investigation and public appeals for information from organizations like Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers, the case has grown cold. No arrests have been made, and no suspects have been publicly identified in the years since the shooting. The deaths of Terry Northcutt and Voravangso Phanmana are now considered unsolved homicides. Law enforcement continues to seek help from the community to bring resolution to the case and provide answers for the families of the two men whose lives were violently ended that autumn night.
