A Tacoma teenager has admitted to the premeditated shooting of 16-year-old Jonathan Tovar after the two met for what investigators describe as a marijuana deal. The defendant, now 17, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder with a firearm enhancement and is set to be sentenced on March 20, 2026.
Gerhart Stanley entered his plea after a Pierce County judge declined juvenile jurisdiction and moved the case to adult court, according to The News Tribune. The Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said the defense agreed to the transfer, and the guilty plea followed that decision.
The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as 16-year-old Jonathan Tovar and determined he died from a gunshot wound to the head, ruling the death a homicide. County records link the killing to a Jan. 25, 2024 shooting in Tacoma.
What Investigators Say
Police say the shooting unfolded in the driveway of a U-Haul location near the 4400 block of Portland Avenue East after a late-night meetup. Officers found Tovar wounded at the scene, and he was later taken to a Seattle hospital, as reported by KIRO 7. Detectives arrested a juvenile suspect in September 2024 with assistance from the King County Sheriff’s Office, KIRO 7 reported.
According to The News Tribune, probable-cause documents state that Tovar and Stanley exchanged Instagram messages about buying or selling THC cartridges and that Tovar “dropped a pin” to share his location minutes before a 911 caller reported gunfire. Charging documents describe surveillance video that allegedly shows Tovar climbing over a gate and waving at a vehicle before two people step out and start firing. Investigators later sent Tovar’s clothing and a lighter from his pocket to the Washington State Patrol crime lab, where analysts linked DNA on the lighter to Stanley, according to the court records.
Legal Process and Next Steps
The juvenile court’s decision to decline jurisdiction and send the case to adult court is governed by state law, which permits a decline hearing when a defendant is 15 or older and charged with a serious violent offense, under RCW 13.40.110. In adult court, a first-degree murder conviction carries a potential life sentence under state law, and the specific term will be set at Stanley’s March 20 sentencing in Pierce County Superior Court, per RCW 9A.32.040.
Stanley’s guilty plea ends the indictment stage but does not close the case entirely. Prosecutors have alleged that an unidentified accomplice was involved, and investigators say they are still working to determine who else may have taken part. The March sentencing is expected to be the next major public moment in a case that has drawn attention because both the victim and the accused are teenagers.
