A Washington jury convicted Miguel Angel Urbano-Vazquez of aggravated first-degree murder in the 2002 rape and strangulation of Sharon Van Gilder, a 39-year-old mother of two. Van Gilder’s body was found beside a rural road in Pierce County after she was last seen leaving a Tacoma bar with Urbano-Vazquez and another man. Urbano-Vazquez had been deported to Mexico, but was captured abroad in 2023 and extradited to the United States in 2025. DNA evidence also connected him to three other sexual assaults in the Tacoma area that year.
| 1) | The 2002 killing of Sharon Van Gilder |
| 2) | DNA connects the murder to three assaults |
| 3) | Deportation, capture and extradition |
| 4) | Survivors testify after decades of waiting |
| 5) | Conviction and upcoming sentencing |
The 2002 killing of Sharon Van Gilder
Van Gilder was last seen leaving a bar in Tacoma, Washington, in March 2002 with Urbano-Vazquez and another man. Hours later, her naked and badly beaten body was discovered beside a rural road in Spanaway, southeast of Tacoma. Investigators determined that she had been strangled.
Van Gilder was a mother of two and was remembered by her cousin, Brenda Doty, as a close family member and devoted friend. Doty described Van Gilder’s role in saving her daughter from drowning during a family outing years earlier, saying the child was eight at the time and is now 40.
DNA connects the murder to three assaults
Prosecutors said Van Gilder was the first victim in a series of violent sexual assaults that occurred between March and October 2002. In 2012, DNA testing linked evidence from the rape and murder investigation to three other nearby rapes in the Tacoma area.
The DNA links allowed investigators to connect the separate cases, although Urbano-Vazquez could not be fully compared with the original evidence until a later DNA sample was obtained. The three additional rape charges were ultimately included in the case heard by the jury.
Deportation, capture and extradition
Urbano-Vazquez was deported to Mexico sometime after Van Gilder’s killing, according to the FBI’s Seattle office. He remained outside the United States for years while the investigations and DNA work continued.
Authorities captured him abroad in 2023 and extradited him to the United States in 2025. Once in custody, investigators obtained a DNA sample and compared it with evidence collected in the 2002 cases. That comparison supported the prosecution’s case and helped bring the decades-old investigation to trial.
Survivors testify after decades of waiting
Three women who were assaulted in the Tacoma area in 2002 testified against Urbano-Vazquez. Their appearances in court came about 24 years after the attacks, requiring them to revisit traumatic events before a jury.
Doty praised the survivors’ courage and said their testimony was central to the case. She and Van Gilder’s family embraced the women after they left the courtroom and told them that the attacks were not their fault. Doty said the verdict offered hope to other families still waiting for answers in cold cases.
“If there anybody out there with a cold case, don’t give up,” Doty said.
Conviction and upcoming sentencing
A jury found Urbano-Vazquez guilty on Nov. 3, 2026, of aggravated first-degree murder in Van Gilder’s death and rape charges related to the three other women. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 11.
In Washington, aggravated murder carries a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. The conviction concludes a nearly 25-year effort to hold Urbano-Vazquez accountable for the killing and the related assaults, while the family continues to remember Van Gilder as a mother, relative and protector.
| Number | Key Point |
|---|---|
| 1 | Miguel Angel Urbano-Vazquez was convicted of aggravated first-degree murder. |
| 2 | The victim, Sharon Van Gilder, was found strangled in Pierce County in March 2002. |
| 3 | DNA connected the case to three other Tacoma-area rapes. |
| 4 | The defendant was captured in 2023 and extradited in 2025. |
| 5 | Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 11, 2026. |
Summary
The conviction brings legal resolution to the 2002 murder of Sharon Van Gilder and three related sexual assaults in the Tacoma area. The case was advanced by DNA testing, international cooperation and testimony from survivors who waited decades to be heard. Urbano-Vazquez remains scheduled for sentencing, where he could face life in prison without parole under Washington law.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who was convicted in the case?
Miguel Angel Urbano-Vazquez was convicted of aggravated first-degree murder and rape charges involving three other women.
When did the murder occur?
Sharon Van Gilder was killed in March 2002 in Pierce County, Washington.
How was the defendant linked to the crimes?
DNA testing linked evidence from Van Gilder’s case to three other rapes, and a DNA sample obtained after Urbano-Vazquez’s extradition was compared with the original evidence.
When will sentencing take place?
Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 11, 2026.
