8 Count Guilty Verdict in Des Moines Triple Murder Case

Late last week, a jury returned a guilty verdict on all counts in the triple murder case against Joshua “Everybodytalksabout” Puloka — convicting him of 8 felony charges in the case brought against him by King County Prosecutors.

“Justice was done in this case — justice for Antoine Matthews, Angelia Hylton, and Ezra Taylor who were murdered, justice for the two additional surviving gunshot victims, justice for their families, and justice for our entire King County Community,” said King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion. “I am profoundly grateful for the Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys, Legal Service Professionals, and Victim Advocates of the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office whose skill and dedication led to this conviction. I am also thankful for our law enforcement partners whose investigation helped deliver the strongest case possible.”

Puloka’s conviction includes:

• Murder in the First Degree (convicted of 1 count)
• Murder in the Second Degree (convicted of 2 counts)
• Manslaughter in the First Degree (convicted of 3 counts)
• Assault in the First Degree (convicted of 1 count)
• Assault in the 2nd Degree (convicted of 1 count)

The jury convicted Mr. Puloka as charged on each of the counts on which they were instructed. The jury was not instructed on 3 of the charges Mr. Puloka was facing because the evidence was either sufficient on other counts (i.e. the evidence was sufficient on counts 7 and 10 such that the jury did not need to be instructed on counts 8 and 9) or it was unnecessary (i.e. it wasn’t necessary to move forward with the Unlawful Possession of a Firearm in the First Degree charge given that every other count included a firearm enhancement).

Considering that this is Mr. Puloka’s third strike, and he is subject to life in prison without parole. The sentencing date is June 21.