Two Brothers Charged With Murder

Two brothers charged Monday in a tavern holdup which left one woman dead and her fiance wounded once had boasted that the best way to pull off a robbery is to “just come in shooting,” a prosecutor said.

Paul Thomas Vickers, 30, and John Phillip Vickers, 25, were arraigned in Pierce County Superior Court on charges of aggravated first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder. They pleaded innocent, and bail was set at $1 million each.

The brothers are accused of bursting into The Pub tavern early on Jan. 25 and fatally shooting a patron, 24-year-old Brenda Bottrell, and seriously wounding her fiance, Rob Williamson. Williamson, 34, was working as a security guard at the tavern.

The robbers made their way into the tavern’s card room and escaped with about $1,600, according to court documents.

The brothers were arrested Friday on Anderson Island south of Tacoma, where they had been staying in a trailer. A tip from a relative led police to the site.