Left: Kitsap deputies arrest Chad Wilson for murder. Right: Mailbox at scene of deadly shooting (Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office).
A jury in Washington state convicted a man who shot a person to death because he thought they had stolen his mail.
The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office stated in a press release that Chad Wilson, aged 41, was convicted of first-degree manslaughter, murder with extreme indifference, and drive-by shooting. The incident took place on January 10, 2023, when Wilson noticed Richard Taii, 31, and two women in a car outside his residence in Port Richard, near Seattle. Believing they were stealing his mail, Wilson confronted them, resulting in him fatally shooting Taii.
An arrest affidavit obtained by local Fox affiliate KCPQ revealed that detectives reconstructed the events from surveillance footage and witness accounts. One of the women in Taii’s company recounted that as they tried to leave, Wilson obstructed their vehicle in a cul-de-sac. Wilson then approached them, demanding his mail back in an aggressive manner before shooting Taii in the head, causing Taii’s vehicle to collide with several mailboxes.
Wilson contended that he acted in self-defense, claiming Taii approached him aggressively in his vehicle. However, surveillance footage contradicted Wilson’s assertion, showing Taii avoiding Wilson’s vehicle. The women clarified they had parked near the mailbox coincidentally, though authorities discovered mail in their possession, leading to their prosecution for mail theft. Notably, Taii had recently been released from jail before the tragic incident occurred.
Detectives arrested Wilson a couple hours after the incident. He reportedly told investigators he chose to confront Taii and the two women by himself as opposed to calling cops because he felt “law enforcement would not be successful in getting his property back.” Wilson and Taii did not previously know each other.
Neighbors told KCPQ that mail theft had been an ongoing problem in the area. A judge is scheduled to sentence Wilson for his crimes on March 28.
