A Tacoma man has been charged with second-degree murder in the 2021 death of a woman whose body was found in a ditch, after investigators said DNA evidence link
A Tacoma man has been charged with second-degree murder in the 2021 death of a woman whose body was found in a ditch, after investigators said DNA evidence linked him to the killing and two separate rape investigations.
Edwin Lee Newlander, 59, was charged Monday in Pierce County Superior Court with the intentional killing of a woman on or about Oct. 12, 2021.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $50,000 fine, according to court records.
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Tacoma police responded that morning to the 3100 block of East M Street in Tacoma after a woman's body was reported in a ditch. An autopsy determined she died from asphyxia caused by compression of the neck, and her death was ruled a homicide, according to a probable-cause declaration filed by Tacoma homicide Detective Albert Malave. Prosecutors did not identify her in the court documents.
Investigators said DNA collected from the woman's fingernail clippings was later associated with DNA evidence in a 2025 Tacoma rape investigation and a 2019 rape investigation.
The victim in the 2019 incident underwent a rape exam, and the DNA of her attacker was entered into the CODIS system.
Police identified Newlander as a possible suspect after the victim in the 2025 case described a man known as “Ed,” and investigators said her physical description of him matched Newlander. This victim also underwent a rape exam, and the DNA profile of her attacker matched that of the DNA entered in 2019.
Police collected a cigarette butt that Newlander discarded during a June traffic stop and submitted it for DNA testing, according to court documents. The Washington State Patrol Crime Lab reported in August that DNA from the cigarette butt was associated with the homicide investigation and the two rape cases.
During a Sept. 2 interview, Newlander told detectives he recognized the dead woman and had spent time with her near Puyallup Avenue. He denied harming her, according to court documents, and instead claimed the victim had tried to attack him. He later told police he had last seen her near McKinley Park, about 759 yards from where her body was found, investigators said.
Prosecutors said the rape investigations remain open and Newlander has not been charged in those cases.
