A Tacoma man who pleaded guilty to manslaughter and assault for fatally shooting his girlfriend and then pointing the gun at one of her three children was sentenced Friday to 23 years and four months in prison.
Tellieun Marquez Harvey’s attorney, Jennifer Freeman, said her client had been diagnosed with schizophrenia a year before the shooting, was not taking his medication and was actively psychotic when he fatally shot 24-year-old Elisia Simpson on May 16, 2022.
Freeman told the court she believed Simpson’s murder would not have occurred if Harvey had taken his medication. Freeman said that at the time, Harvey had command hallucinations that told him to kill the victim, and that he had to do so to get his soul back. She said her client acknowledged he will need to take medication for the rest of his life.
Harvey’s mental competency to assist in his own defense was questioned during his criminal trial, court records show, and a judge ordered him to undergo two 90-day periods of competency rehabilitation at Western State Hospital before being declared competent to to continue.
It was a challenge for prosecutors to decide whether to take the case to trial on the original charges of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder. Deputy Prosecutor Bryce Nelson said that would have meant putting a seven-year-old girl on the witness stand to testify about what would be the worst event of anyone’s life.
Simpson’s three children, ages 2, 3 and 5, were in the Pacific Avenue apartment when Harvey, then 21, shot and killed the mother. Nelson said the children were left alone in the home for some time until they went outside onto a balcony and flagged down a passerby who called 911.
Tacoma Police Department officers found seven .40-caliber shell casings on the floor of a bedroom where Simpson was found, according to charging documents. Simpson’s face was severely swollen and bruised, and she had multiple wounds on her left side.
Elisia Simpson, 24, was found dead in her Tacoma apartment on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. She was a mother of three children.
The 5-year-old girl later told forensic interviewers that she was in her bedroom watching “Shrek” when she heard her mother and Harvey arguing. The girl said she heard gunshots, and then Harvey came into her room and pointed a black gun right at her face.
Witnesses saw Harvey leave the apartment at 6:30 a.m. and gave photographs of him to investigators, along with the license plate number of the car he left in. Police later interviewed Harvey’s mother, who said he had been acting strangely and that she had taken him to Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup for treatment.
Investigators learned that Harvey was taken to Wellfound Behavioral Health Hospital in Tacoma, where police arrested him.
Discussions between prosecutors, the victim’s family and the defense over whether it was worth having Simpson’s daughter testify led to an agreement that avoided a trial, with Harvey pleading guilty to lesser charges of second-degree murder and second-degree assault. Nelson said prosecutors agreed to recommend a 23-year prison sentence.
Pierce County Superior Court Judge Susan Adams said what Simpson’s daughter experienced was beyond comprehension. The girl was lucky not to suffer the same fate as her mother, the judge said, but she said the girl would carry this with her for the rest of her life.
Adams said the suspect’s mental health issues warranted a lesser sentence imposed on him under the amended charge. But she said she saw no reason to sentence Harvey to anything other than the high end of the range, four months longer than the recommendation.
“He is going to spend over 20 years in prison for these heinous crimes, and rightly so,” Adams said.
‘Like a superhero’
Before handing down Harvey’s sentence, the judge heard from three Simpson siblings who described how their sister’s murder had “shattered” their family.
Alice Simpson, who attended the hearing via Zoom, told the court she had denied her sister’s death in recent years and still texted and called her hoping she would respond. She said no amount of time Harvey could serve would undo the damage or take away her pain, but she wanted Harvey to at least regret tearing her family apart and feel the pain he had caused them.
Another sister, Willow Jackson, 16, said Simpson was like a second mother to her and was the strongest person she knew.
“She was like a superhero, she always helped everyone and never let anyone be her superhero,” Jackson said.
Knowing her sister’s life was taken in such a cruel and senseless way made Jackson question the goodness in this world, she said, and it robbed her of her ability to feel peace.
“Our family is shattered by her death,” Jackson said. “I miss my sister every day, and I wish she were here to see the young woman I am becoming. I hope that through this process my sister’s voice is heard and her life is honored.”
William Simpson told the court he did not see a world in which Harvey’s crime could be remedied. He said that Simpson was the cornerstone of all that was good about their family, and that now all their views had changed.
“There’s nothing that can be done,” said William Simpson. “But at least he’ll be somewhere else. Somewhere else far away.”
When it was Harvey’s turn to speak, he said he was sorry to Simpson’s family for what he had done and remorseful for the pain he had caused. He said he had done something terrible.
“I deserve the punishment I’m getting,” Harvey said. “If I could change things, I would.”
Tellieun Harvey will appear in Pierce County Superior Court in Tacoma, Washington, on Friday, December 20, 2024, to be sentenced on second-degree murder charges for the fatal shooting of his girlfriend, Elisia Simpson, in 2022.
Domestic Violence Resources
To contact the Crystal Judson Family Justice Center, whose website includes a list of partner organizations that also provide services, visit familyjusticecenter.us or call 253-798-4166.
For a list of domestic violence victim advocacy programs in the state, visit wscadv.org/washington-domestic-violence-programs. For national or regional hotlines, visit wscadv.org/get-help-now.
The Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s Friends and Family Guide can be found here: wscadv.org/resources/friends-family-guide. A printable guide in English or Spanish is available here: wscadv.org/resources/printable-friends-family-guide.
Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 if you or someone you know is a victim of abuse. Visit thehotline.org to chat or text with an attorney or for more information.
