Black Diamond sound engineer fatally shot at Twisp motel

Tom Pfaeffle, a respected sound engineer from Black Diamond who worked with music groups that included Nirvana, The Black Crowes and Heart, was killed Friday at a Twisp-area motel, according to KING-TV.

Pfaeffle, 49, had been active in the recording, touring and sound-reinforcement industry for three decades, he said on his Web site. He was also an instructor at the Art Institute of Seattle, teaching audio production.

Pfaeffle owned and operated The Tank, a recording studio located in the woods of Black Diamond.

According to the Twisp Police Department, a 49-year-old man, whom the department did not identify, was shot at about 10:42 p.m. Friday by a 57-year-old man. The victim died from his wounds about two hours later at Mid-Valley Hospital in Omak.

The shooter was apprehended and booked for murder in the second degree and reckless endangerment, the police department said. The latter charge was subsequently upgraded to second-degree assault.

"Circumstances and possible motivations have not been conclusively determined," the Twisp Police Department said in their report. KING-TV reported that Pfaeffle may have inadvertently tried to enter a wrong room at the motel.

On recent posts on his Web site, Pfaeffle appears to have been busy and enjoying his work. His most recent entry reads: "Things are cooking along — Just finished Dog Leg Preachers full length "Abscess." The record kicks."