A young man who admitted to fatally shooting his 17-year-old ex-girlfriend outside her home in Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood while the two were in the midst of a breakup has been sentenced to 23 years in prison.
Aiden Ray Tyrrell, 20, pleaded guilty in August to first-degree murder for the March 23, 2024 death of De'Layah Sims of Tacoma. He also pleaded guilty to third-degree assault with a firearm-sentencing enhancement for firing a single bullet into the bedroom window of an apartment next door to Sims two days before the murder.
Pierce County Superior Court Judge Karena Kirkendoll sentenced Tyrrell on Sept. 19, imposing a prison term near the low end of the standard sentencing range that prosecutors and the defense had agreed to recommend.
Attorneys for Tyrrell from the Department of Assigned Counsel described how being exposed to drugs, alcohol and violence at an early age affected Tyrrell's psychological state at the time of the offense. Tyrrel was 18 at the time, and, according to court records, he had been living with friends or on the streets while selling drugs and working at a warehouse to support himself.
Tyrrell first tried alcohol and marijuana at 10 years old, according to a psychological evaluation, and the first time he was shot at was when he was 13, which led to nightmares and deteriorating mental health. His substance use continued throughout his teenage years, including exposure to methamphetamine and cocaine, and in the month leading up to Sims' shooting he reported taking OxyContin and codeine multiple times per day.
"Nothing can reduce the tragedy of Ms. Simms' [sic] murder," defense attorneys Travis Currie and Ryan Hogaboam wrote in a sentencing memorandum. "However, Aiden's psychological state at the time of the offense was heavily impacted by childhood and acute trauma, depression, and substance use."
In addition to first-degree murder, Tyrrell previously was accused of first-degree assault, second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, second-degree arson and unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle.
In a statement regarding the amended charges, deputy prosecuting attorney Thomas Howe described how resolving the case through a guilty plea to the adjusted charges avoided requiring Sims' young siblings to testify at trial, which he said would likely be traumatic and could cause long-term harm. Howe also said it took into account the mitigating factors cited by the defense.
Messages sent between Tyrrell and Sims showed the two were arguing in the days before the shooting, with Sims asking where her gun was and Tyrrell accusing her of cheating while threatening her.
Two days before the shooting, charging documents say, Tyrrell sent Sims threatening text messages while outside her house. He tried to get her to come outside, said he had a gun and then shot into her next-door neighbor's apartment and drove away.
Howe said it was prosecutors' theory that Tyrrell was following through on his threat to harm Sims by attempting to shoot her, accidentally firing the round into the window after seeing a person moving in the apartment. Howe said the window could easily be mistaken for Sims' window.
On the day of the shooting, Sims was talking to her sister on the phone while Tyrrell was coming over to meet her, according to the probable cause document. The sister later told detectives that she'd heard Tyrrell was going to give back Sims' belongings.
The sister heard Sims say, "OK, he's coming." Then, she heard Sims open the door and scream twice. Records state there were some muffled noises, and the teenager's sister said she hung up and called their mother. A witness reported seeing a gunshot come from a tan sedan that slowed down, then drove off.
Sims was struck in the abdomen and the forearm, and her father took her to Tacoma General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
