Half-brothers face trial together for Pasco murder
Two half-brothers will be tried together for allegedly killing a 27-year-old man when they met up in a Pasco neighborhood to settle a score.
The attorneys for Simeon C.E. Howard and Nathaniel L. Thompson said Tuesday that they didn’t object to the prosecution request that the two cases be joined for trial.
Howard, 35, and Thompson, 26, both are charged with premeditated first-degree murder and drive-by shooting.
Howard, the alleged shooter, also is charged with first-degree unlawful possession of a 9mm semiautomatic gun.
Thompson has an additional charge for first-degree conspiracy to commit murder.
They waived their rights to a speedy trial and agreed to postpone it to Sept. 25. It was the best available date for the prosecutors and two defense attorneys.
Thomas Contreras De Leon died early Dec. 30 after a friend dropped him off at Lourdes Medical Center in Pasco with a bullet wound to his heart and right lung.
De Leon was at Joker’s in Richland late Dec. 29 when he got into an argument with Thompson inside the nightclub and in the parking lot, according to court documents.
After leaving the club, an upset De Leon asked his friend to track down Thompson so they could settle things with a physical fight, documents said.
De Leon reportedly talked to Thompson on the phone and they agreed to meet on De Leon’s block.
Thompson met up with his half-brother at some point and they drove together to Pasco to continue the fight with De Leon.
De Leon and two friends met with Thompson and Howard at South Myrtle Avenue and East B Street, court documents said.
Prosecutors allege the two groups exchanged words, then Howard pulled out the gun and opened fire on the three men, striking De Leon on the upper left shoulder.
Investigators found two separate batches of shell casings in the intersection. The casings are 9mm and from three different brands of ammunition, documents said.
Howard and Thompson are held on $1 million bail each in the Franklin County jail.
Kristin M. Kraemer: 509-582-1531, @KristinMKraemer
This story was originally published March 28, 2017 at 7:08 PM with the headline "Half-brothers face trial together for Pasco murder."