On the night of April 2, 2016, 47-year-old Tom Iannicello, a Caucasian male, was found dead in his bed at his home in unincorporated Auburn, Washington. He had been shot in the head at close range while he was sleeping, and there were no signs of a struggle. His wife, Julie Iannicello, called 911 around 10:50 p.m. to report the discovery, claiming their house had been burglarized.
However, responding King County Sheriff's deputies found that valuable items such as televisions, electronics, and cash were untouched, casting doubt on the burglary theory.
The initial investigation explored various possibilities, including business rivalries connected to Tom's produce company. However, suspicion soon turned towards his wife, Julie. According to investigators, her two children were waiting in a running vehicle in the driveway for 5 to 10 minutes while she was alone in the house with their father. After she came out, they left to pick up Tom's older daughter from a previous relationship. It was upon their return that Julie claimed to have found her husband's body and called the police.
For nearly three years, the case remained a "cold case," but detectives continued to build a circumstantial case against Julie Iannicello. They uncovered that she had been having an affair with a coworker at the time of her husband's murder. Dozens of emails between Julie and her boyfriend revealed her hatred for her husband and her plans to leave him the weekend he was killed. Detectives also noted that Julie did not appear upset or in shock on the night of the murder and never followed up on the investigation in the subsequent years. A key piece of forensic evidence was a spent casing found next to the victim, which was matched to unfired bullets found elsewhere in the home, suggesting the murder weapon came from inside the house.
In March 2019, Julie Iannicello, then 48 years old, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Prosecutors alleged that she executed her husband while he slept. The arrest and charges divided the family, with some believing in her innocence while others expressed relief that an arrest had been made. Following a trial in the summer of 2022, the jury could not reach a unanimous verdict, resulting in a mistrial.
