Arrest made in Mattawa killings

SUNNYSIDE -- A suspect in the triple homicide this week near Mattawa allegedly was involved in a series of armed robberies stretching from Sunnyside to Pasco and Basin City, authorities said Wednesday.

J. Guadalupe Martinez-Lopez, 24, of Mattawa, initially was named a person of interest in the shooting and was arrested late Tuesday in Sunnyside after police received a tip that he was in the area.

By Wednesday afternoon, police confirmed they believe he is a suspect in two recent armed robberies in Sunnyside.

And investigators believe he's also responsible for three convenience store hold-ups in Pasco and one in Basin City.

"We believe it's our person," said Pasco police Capt. Jim Raymond.

Martinez-Lopez matches the description of the suspect in the three robberies, but Raymond said investigators still were working with witnesses to positively identify the robber.

While authorities sorted out Martinez-Lopez's alleged involvement in the armed robberies, Grant County sheriff's detectives were busy piecing together details about Monday's fatal shooting in Mattawa.

"We're putting it all together," Undersheriff John Turley said. "This has all been a quest."

The names of the three victims have not been released. The Grant County Coroner's Office said they still were working to notify the men's families.

Autopsies were expected to be performed Thursday and Friday.

All that is known about the victims is that they were all associated with the yellow mobile home in the 21000 block of Road 24.7 S.W., where the shooting occurred.

Two men with gunshot wounds were found inside the home after deputies responded to a report of gunshots in the area around 9:15 p.m. Monday.

One man was dead and the second died shortly after being loaded in an ambulance, authorities said. The third victim was found dead about two miles away in the middle of Road 26 S.W.

Sheriff's detectives and the Washington State Patrol Crime Scene Response Team spent the day Tuesday collecting evidence from both crime scenes and searching for the suspect.

Martinez-Lopez was arrested shortly after allegedly committing his sixth armed robbery.

Sunnyside police were called about the robbery while investigating a tip that a person involved in Grant County's homicide might have been in the Sunnyside area, said Charlotte Hinderlider, police spokeswoman.

The robbery was reported at 8:55 p.m. at the Hiway Fruit mini-mart in the 200 block of the Yakima Valley Highway.

Tips led officers to the El Valle restaurant in the 400 block of the Yakima Valley Highway, where Martinez-Lopez and five others were arrested.

Additional units from the Granger and Grandview police departments, the Yakima County Sheriff's Office and the Washington State Patrol also were involved.

"We had a lot of help from outside agencies," Hinderlider said. "Employees at the convenience store and the restaurant were very understanding. It's not easy to have that much law enforcement descend on (a business). We are very appreciative of all the tips."

Martinez-Lopez was transferred to the Grant County jail, while the others arrested with him have since been released, Hinderlider said.

He is expected to face robbery charges in Yakima County in connection with the holdups Dec. 12 at Pik-A-Pop and at Hiway Fruits, she said.

"As far as we're concerned, he is the robbery suspect," Hinderlider said, adding that they have store surveillance video from both stores.

At both stores, the robber made a purchase, then pulled a gun and demanded money from the clerk.

Pasco had a string of similar robberies that started Nov. 28 when the suspect acted like a customer -- even waiting his turn in line once -- and made a purchase, then robbed the clerks at gunpoint as they opened the register to make change.

The Metro Mart was the first business robbed, then two days later the One Stop store was hit. Pasco's third hold-up was at Atomic Foods on Dec. 2, about 90 minutes after a convenience store in Basin City was robbed.

-- Paula Horton: 582-1556; phorton@tricityherald.com