Suspect in Tacoma murder says he stabbed himself after attack, charges say
An Olympia man is suspected of fatally stabbing another man inside a Tacoma apartment last week.
Prosecutors charged Joseph Anthony Nasca, 60, with first-degree murder and theft of a motor vehicle for the incident that happened in the 600 block of South Jackson Avenue. Police found the victim dead Thursday.
A plea of not guilty was entered on Nasca’s behalf during his arraignment Monday afternoon. Pierce County Superior Court Commissioner Barbara McInvaille set his bail at $2 million.
The identification of the victim has not released, pending confirmation from the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office.
An officer was dispatched at about 3:36 p.m. to an apartment building for a reported stabbing. Charging documents show that Nasca had gone to St. Peter Hospital in Olympia and was considered a stabbing victim.
Nasca alleged that he stabbed another man who lived in the apartment unit on South Jackson, documents show. He also said that the man stabbed him. Detectives noted that the man’s vehicle was at the hospital, and Nasca said he drove it to the hospital after stabbing the victim.
Officers conducted a welfare check at the man’s apartment and found him dead from multiple stab wounds to the neck, charging documents show.
Initially, Nasca said he stabbed the man out of self-defense during an altercation. He had been staying at the man’s apartment for the past three days after the defendant got into an argument with his wife, documents show.
Nasca relayed a story to detectives in which he said the man tried to kill him with a dagger and folding knife Wednesday. He claimed the victim was upset at Nasca and tried to attack the defendant in a bedroom. Nasca said after he grabbed the knives from the man, he jabbed him in the neck out of fear. He then went in the victim’s car to drive to a hospital, which he did not actually go to until 19 hours later, according to Nasca.
Nasca repeated that story, but allegedly admitted to detectives that it was false. He said that on Wednesday, he was asleep when he woke to the man sexually assaulting him. Nasca said he “snapped” and fought with the victim, according to charging documents.
The fight continued into the living room, and the victim fell after losing his balance. Nasca said he pinned the victim down and stabbed him in the neck, documents show. He believed the man was dead and gathered some items before he drove away in the victim’s car. He allegedly said he took the man’s phone so he could not call 911 if he did survive.
Nasca told detectives he stabbed himself in the chest outside of the apartment unit before he drove off, documents show. He allegedly threw the knife from the car when he drove towards the Tacoma Narrows bridge.
Detectives noted that two knives that were allegedly used in the attack were found in the apartment.
Nasca has previous criminal convictions, including in 1994 in King County.
This story was originally published September 15, 2025 at 1:59 PM with the headline "Suspect in Tacoma murder says he stabbed himself after attack, charges say."
