He’d just gotten out of jail. He’s back and accused of a Pasco murder

Bail was set at $500,000 Thursday for a Pasco man accused of violently stabbed a homeless man and leaving him to die in a Pasco street.

Hector Orozco Jr. had been out of jail one day when he allegedly attacked three people, including one who died, said police investigators.

Franklin County prosecutors have until Tuesday to decide if Orozco, 42, will be charged with the second-degree murder of Demetrius A. Graves.

Graves, 39, was a transient Level 3 sex offender who recently reported that he was living in the Pasco area.

Thursday, Prosecutor Shawn Sant asked that Orozco’s bail be set at $500,000 because of his long history of felony and misdemeanor convictions that included residential burglary, illegal gun possession and eluding police.

Orozco also doesn’t have a permanent place to live, Sant told Judge Jackie Shea Brown. He’s been staying at other people’s homes.

Defense Attorney Michael Quillen told the judge he will wait to argue for a reduction in bail.

It still remains unclear what triggered the attack in an alleyway behind a Bonneville Street home near downtown Pasco.

Earlier that night, Graves and Shegow Gagow, 34, had gone to a woman’s room at the Rodeway Inn. Orozco was there and told them to leave, according to court documents.

Graves then drove Orozco and Gagow to a Lewis Street convenience store, where they met a fourth man, who invited them to a nearby house to smoke.

It’s unclear what they were smoking in the makeshift shed behind a home in the 600 block of Bonneville Street, but Gagow said they stayed there about 20 minutes.

As they left the shed, Orozco reportedly hit Gagow on the back of his head. He was knocked to his knees, dazed, he told investigators.

When he looked up, Orozco was allegedly on top of Graves, repeatedly stabbing him.

Gagow grabbed a stick and began to hitting him. But Orozco continued stabbing Graves, he said.

Orozco then allegedly turned back toward Gagow and started to attack again, but he stumbled and dropped the knife and Gagow ran, he said.

Just after 4 a.m., Gagow called police and they found him with another man at the intersection of Clark and Sixth Avenue with a “long stick like object” and a box cutting knife. He said he had the knife for self defense but never used it.

Graves’ body was nearby in the street, soaking wet from the rain.

Police also found some paperwork in the street with Orozco’s name on it. And, court records show, store surveillance video from the Metro Mart confirmed Gagow’s account of the men being at the store earlier.

Detectives then staked out the Rodeway Inn, in hopes Orozco would return.

He was eventually arrested there about 10:45 a.m. when he was found in a bathroom of one of the rooms after a woman was seen running out crying.

Police found another man in the room bleeding, claiming Orozco had just assaulted him.

This story was originally published February 15, 2018 at 6:27 PM with the headline "He’d just gotten out of jail. He’s back and accused of a Pasco murder."