Lacey man accused of double homicide appears in Thurston County Superior Court
A 21-year-old Lacey man accused of murdering his pregnant wife and a roommate is being held in the Thurston County jail without bail.
John Robert Maupin, an active-duty Army member, attended his preliminary appearance in Thurston County Superior Court on Friday.
Lacey police arrested Maupin early Friday morning after a multi-agency pursuit that started on Interstate 5 and ended within the Billy Frank Jr. Wildlife Refuge. Maupin was booked into the county jail on suspicion of two-counts of second-degree murder, domestic violence while armed with a firearm, second-degree assault while armed with a firearm and attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle.
Coroner Gary Warnock previously described the victims as a 24-year-old pregnant woman and a 26-year-old man who was an active-duty soldier at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
Judge Christopher Lanese found probable cause for the alleged crimes and ordered Maupin to be held without bail until further order.
In doing so, he determined there was a substantial danger Maupin may commit a violent crime, he may interfere with the case and the court could not be assured he would reappear for his next court hearing.
Lanese also barred Maupin from contacting the mother of the 24-year-old woman as well as the mother’s partner. Both of them lived in the same home as Maupin and the two victims, according to court records.
In a motion to the court, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Cailen Cecil alleged Maupin shot and killed his wife and her friend. She also alleged Maupin pointed a gun at another roommate who investigated the gunshots.
Cecil asked the court to deny bail in light of these allegations. She said Maupin has a “great propensity for violence”
“In additional to intentionally killing (the 24-year-old woman) and her friend, Mr. Maupin showed depraved indifference for (the woman’s) nearly full-term unborn child,” Cecil said. “These actions demonstrate a clear threat to the safety of this community and the likelihood of future violence.”
Court records show Maupin has no known adult criminal convictions.
The investigation
A probable cause statement describes the investigation in the alleged crimes from the perspective of law enforcement.
Lacey police responded at about 9 p.m. to the 5400 block of 57th Loop Southeast following reports of a shooting.
The mother of the deceased woman called 911 to report Maupin had shot her daughter and her friend. As the mother called 911, her partner ran to a neighbor’s home and called 911 as well.
The witnesses told dispatch that Maupin was an Army member stationed at JBLM. He reportedly left the home in a white 2020 Hyundai Sonata after the shooting.
At the scene, officers found the deceased male on the floor of the upstairs hallway and the deceased woman on the floor of an upstairs master bedroom.
Both of them had “trauma to their heads that appeared consistent with gunshot wounds and no detectable pulse,” the statement says. Officers reportedly found several 9mm shell casings in the hallway and in the master bedroom.
The mother told police Maupin often fought with her daughter and threatened suicide on several occasions, per the statement.
The mother said her daughter confronted Maupin about going into her room and taking her phone without her permission earlier that day. Hours of quiet passed until she heard gunshots coming from her daughter’s room.
She told police she heard Maupin say, “Oh, the gun went off,” before he left the room. A moment later, she heard more gunshots in the hallway.
Another roommate was downstairs watching television. He told police he started towards the stairs when he heard gunshots. That’s when Maupin came down the stairs.
Maupin allegedly pointed a gun at the roommate’s head and told him to “Get the (expletive) away from me,” according to the statement.
An Olympia police officer reportedly spotted Maupin’s white vehicle at about 9:15 p.m. Thursday as it traveled north on Interstate 5.
The officer tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the statement says Maupin sped away at speeds over 110 miles per hour.
Maupin eventually exited the highway and entered the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge before abandoning his vehicle and fleeing on foot.
More law enforcement responded to the area at about 1 a.m. Friday and he was eventually located and arrested, per the statement.
A detective and a corporal later interviewed Maupin at the Lacey Police Department. Maupin allegedly told them he had an alter ego named “New John” who took over and he could not recall what happened at his home.
He also allegedly said he remembered telling an officer he had a gun in the glovebox of his car but he did not own a gun, according to the statement.
A sergeant reportedly entered Maupin’s car with a search warrant and allegedly recovered a black handgun.
