‘The ultimate betrayal’ — man sentenced for Marysville homicide

EVERETT — The last time Eric Bowling saw his nephew, in February 2018, they had made dinner.

Tye Burley, who was 30, had excitedly come over late at night with 10 pounds of hamburger, Bowling told a judge Wednesday at Snohomish County Superior Court.

Bowling asked what the meat was for.

Tacos, Burley said.

“The tacos were a little different,” Bowling said. “They just had ketchup on them.”

Family and friends described Burley as fun-loving and kind.

No one could know that a week after Burley made his infamous tacos, he would be slain in a robbery in Marysville.

The man who set the plan into action, Jeremy Dailey, was sentenced Wednesday to 13¾ years in prison for second-degree murder, falling on the low end of state guidelines.

He had pleaded guilty a couple weeks earlier, after his charges were reduced from first-degree murder. He agreed to testify against two other defendants.

He and Dailey had known each other for two years. When they met on Feb. 19, 2018, Burley invited Dailey to stay in his room at the Village Motor Inn in Marysville, “out of concern for what he believed was (the defendant’s) lack of permanent housing,” charging papers say.

Burley said he had just won big at the casino. He opened his wallet, flush with cash, possibly thousands of dollars.

Prosecutors indicated that Dailey thought about taking the money that night at the motel, but decided against it.

Instead, the next day, he hatched a robbery plan with three other men.

On Feb. 20, 2018, Burley was approached by two men outside the Motor Inn. They knocked him to the ground and kicked him. He tried fighting back.

Then a gun was fired.

Burley died two days later at the hospital from a gunshot wound to the head.

Prosecutors believe the attackers are brothers Jorge Martinez Jr., 32, of Mount Vernon, and Jose Nava, 31, of Everett. Martinez allegedly fired the fatal shot — by accident, he has said, according to a statement from his mother that appears in court papers. And Nava is accused of taking the man’s wallet, possibly filled with up to $7,000 in cash, according to charging papers.

Dailey has agreed to testify against them at their trial, which is currently scheduled for November.

A fourth man, Jared Evans, 30, was convicted in November of first-degree robbery.

On Wednesday, Judge Edirin Okoloko called Dailey’s actions that night “the ultimate betrayal.”

“Tye provided a place to stay,” he said. “You may have not been the one to shoot the victim, but you are the one who put the events into play that ultimately led to his death.”

Okoloko also noted that Dailey was under the influence of drugs the night of the robbery. As part of his community custody after he is released, Dailey will be required to follow a treatment plan and can’t possess or use drugs unless prescribed.

Speaking to the court, the defendant’s mother argued for a lower sentence.

“He made a bad choice that night,” she said. “He’s not a cold-hearted killer or a master planner. It’s just all people influenced by drugs.”

Burley’s mother also spoke to the court. She said she has suffered weight loss since her son died. She said he would call every day at the same time to wish her a good day.

“I loved him with every part of my heart and soul,” she said.

Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.