A Washington man is accused of murdering a woman he believed was cooperating with a rape investigation against his nephew.
Muhammad Salanoa was charged on Wednesday with first-degree murder and first-degree conspiracy to commit murder in the killing of Ngaire Tusi, who was found dead in December last year, NBC affiliate KING reports . A second man, Apelu Tauanuu, is accused of picking Tusi up and transporting her to the place she was shot and killed, according to Fox affiliate KZJO .
Tusi’s body was found at Oakland Madrona Park in Tacoma, Washington, with a gunshot wound to the head and an ankle monitor around her foot wrapped in tin foil.
Ngaire Tusi via Facebook
According to KZJO, investigators discovered that Tusi was associated with a “Samoan based” group connected with Muhammad Salanoa’s nephew, James Salanoa, 22, who was suspected of kidnapping and raping a woman at gunpoint in November.
James Salanoa was killed by Pierce County Sheriff’s Department deputies on Nov. 28 after he attempted to flee arrest, armed with a handgun, according to reports by KING .