On Tuesday, 26-year-old Chaston Pierce Philes stood before a Pierce County Superior Court commissioner, facing a second-degree murder charge in the July 15, 2024 shooting death of 33-year-old Sean Miller. Court Commissioner Barbara McInvaille set bail at $100,000, below what prosecutors wanted. Philes pleaded not guilty, and his attorney told the court he plans to argue that the shooting was self-defense.
Prosecutors' account
According to Pierce County prosecutors, as reported by The News Tribune, Philes is accused of following Miller from a Tacoma bar, cutting off Miller’s vehicle with his own, then opening fire after both men got out of their cars. Prosecutors contend that Philes’ actions either intentionally killed Miller or caused his death while Philes was trying to commit second-degree assault. They have also charged Philes with reckless driving and asked the court to set bail at $500,000. Court records and prosecutors say Philes later turned himself in and cooperated with investigators.
Defense and family reaction
Philes’ attorney, Jesse Williams of Puget Law Group, told the court there is “a very strong self-defense claim” and urged that his client be released on his own recognizance. Williams argued that witnesses described Miller as the initial aggressor once both men were out of their vehicles, a version the defense says cuts against the prosecution’s theory of the case. Miller’s mother, Laura Zimmerman, asked the commissioner to adopt the higher bail amount that prosecutors requested and told the court the family has waited nearly two years for charges to be filed.
Where the shooting happened
The shooting happened just before 8 p.m. on July 15, 2024, near the Interstate 5 off-ramp by the Emerald Queen Casino, where investigators say an earlier interaction between the two men escalated into the fatal confrontation. Local coverage at the time reported that witnesses saw the suspect follow Miller’s vehicle, and that investigators later contacted a man who provided a statement and retained an attorney. KIRO 7 previously identified the victim as Sean Miller and reported that the Pierce County Medical Examiner classified his death as a homicide.
How Washington law treats self-defense
Under Washington law, a person can use force in self-defense if they reasonably believe it is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm. That legal protection can be lost, however, if the defendant is found to have been the initial aggressor in the confrontation. The rules are set out in RCW Chapter 9A.16, including RCW 9A.16.020 and RCW 9A.16.050, and are fleshed out further in state case law and jury instructions that highlight the importance of who started the fight. In Philes’ case, the coming pretrial arguments are expected to center on witness statements and the probable-cause record, particularly whether the evidence aligns more with prosecutors’ claim that Philes provoked the encounter or the defense claim that he fired only to protect himself.
What happens next
Philes remains in custody on the $100,000 bail set by Commissioner McInvaille and is scheduled to return to Pierce County Superior Court as the case moves through pretrial hearings. Prosecutors say the allegations are serious. At this stage, the charge remains an accusation, and Philes is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
