Gang member facing 2 decades in prison for killing at Richland complex
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Gang member pleaded guilty to premeditated first-degree murder on Dec. 31, 2022
- Prosecutors and defense seek about 21 years; sentencing set for April 29
- Suspects linked via surveillance and Instagram; mother aided escape to Oklahoma
A 22-year-old gang member is facing more than 20 years in prison after admitting to a gang-related killing outside a Richland apartment complex.
Felipe Manjares Jr. pleaded guilty to premeditated first-degree murder for firing four of six shots at 21-year-old Michael Castoreno in December 2022.
Manjares is the final person tied to the New Year’s Eve murder at the Columbia Park apartments. In all, four people, including Manjares’ mother, have admitted to their roles in the killing.
The crime carries 20 to 26 years in prison. Prosecutors and defense attorneys plan to ask for about 21 years.
His sentencing is tentatively set for April 29.
Manjares and Rafael Torres Topete, now 20, were at the apartment complex when they crossed paths with Castoreno, according to court documents.
Prosecutors previously said the men were looking for a confrontation that night.
They allegedly asked Castoreno for his gang affiliation and when he answered, Manjares pulled out a gun and began firing, according to court documents.
Manjares and his brothers have ties to a Sunnyside area gang, court documents said.
Video surveillance showed the initial four shots were fired by Manjares, and then Torres Topete is believed to have fired two more. They then fled.
A police dog search led officers to an apartment tied to a separate robbery investigation.
Manjares and several others involved in the shooting were identified through a photo posted on Instagram from the night of the shooting, in which they were wearing the same clothes as seen on security cameras in the area.
By then, Manjares and Topete had fled the state with the help of Manjares’ mother, Rosalina Guzman and her boyfriend, Valentin D. Sanchez.
Manjares fled to Oklahoma with his mother where they were later arrested, according to court documents.
Torres Topete was arrested in the Tri-Cities after an unrelated robbery. He pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in April 2024. He was sentenced to the 12-year maximum term in prison.
Guzman pleaded guilty to first-degree rendering criminal assistance in October 2024, and was sentenced to seven months in jail.
Sanchez pleaded guilty to first-degree rendering criminal assistance in August 2025.