Tacoma drug dealer charged with 1991 cold-case murder

A Tacoma man has been charged with first degree murder for a 1991 shooting death during a drug deal, Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist tells KIRO Radio.

Michael Schaef, 51, pleaded not guilty Thursday.

“There are basically two ways cold cases are solved. The first is DNA, and second is people talk,” says Lindquist. “Here, it was good old-fashioned legwork by Tacoma Police detectives who gathered new statements and other evidence.”

The Tacoma Police Department’s Cold Case Unit re-activated the investigation in 2013. Lindquist says recent statements from the defendant’s ex-wife, along with other evidence, led to the murder charge against the cannabis consultant, who was booked into the Pierce County Jail on December 31.

According to court documents, the victim and his girlfriend drove to Schaef’s home to purchase a large amount of marijuana. As they waited in their car for the seller, a car pulled up and two men got out. They allegedly pounded on the victim’s car and demanded money. When the victim’s girlfriend drove away, the defendant shot the victim through the passenger window. After a chase, the two cars collided and the defendant allegedly grabbed the money and fled.

Schaef was busted for growing and selling marijuana, but at the time nobody was arrested or charged for the murder.

“There is no statute of limitations on murder cases and we don’t give up until there’s justice,” Lindquist says.