Update: Pasco brothers claim self-defense, plead guilty in teen’s killing

A 19-year-old man was released from jail Friday after striking a deal that puts the October 2015 killing of a Pasco teen on his older brother.

Both Jaden F. Quintero and Nathan T. Quintero, 25, entered guilty pleas in Franklin County Superior Court to separate charges significantly reduced from first-degree murder.

Nathan Quintero took responsibility for recklessly causing the death of George Garcia Thacker with a first-degree manslaughter plea.

However, attorney Ryan Swinburnson said their position remains that the shooting was in self-defense and that prosecutors wouldn’t have been able to prove the murder charge in trial.

The body of Garcia Thacker was found a few feet from his car on West River Street in Pasco, not far from the cable bridge.

The 18-year-old had been shot five times in the head and neck.

A witness reported seeing the Quintero brothers get into Garcia Thacker’s car, just minutes before the shooting.

Deputy Prosecutor Frank Jenny acknowledged that it was a circumstantial case because there were no fingerprints or DNA evidence and the gun was never found.

“It’s always been the state’s hypothesis that Nathan Quintero was the shooter, we just couldn’t prove that,” he said.

Jaden Quintero admitted he knew his brother was wanted by police for the slaying, but he delayed Nathan’s capture for two weeks by helping him hide in Walla Walla.

Jaden Quintero’s plea was to first-degree rendering criminal assistance, a gross misdemeanor that typically carries a maximum 364-day sentence in the county jail. He was given credit for time served since he’s been locked up for 21 months.

Prosecutors promised they would not file any more charges stemming from this incident.

Jaden Quintero walked out of jail Friday afternoon only after posting $500 bail on an unrelated fourth-degree assault case in Franklin County District Court.

Nathan Quintero’s sentencing hearing is Aug. 2.

Given his criminal history, he faces a standard range of 12 years and two months to 16 years and two months.

The plea agreement calls for the maximum sentence, Jenny said. He added that it is one month less than their initial offer for second-degree murder.

The plea agreement for manslaughter came out of a counter offer from the defense.

Jenny said that he and colleague Dave Corkrum met with Garcia Thacker’s family on Thursday and they’re in support of it.

The family would like to see the closure that will come with this plea agreement, instead of going through a trial with uncertain results, Jenny said.

Loved ones of both the victim and the brothers were in court Friday.

Jenny gave Judge Carrie Runge some background on the case and asked her to find that the plea agreements are in the interests of justice.

Shortly before 8 p.m. Oct. 7, 2015, an employee at a business near the homicide location saw nothing amiss around their driveway. Fast forward a few minutes, he found a crashed car up the driveway and a man lying on the ground.

The worker initially believed there had been a car accident, and maybe the victim had been thrown from the car or staggered out and collapsed, Jenny said. His boss called 911 and came to the scene, at which point the two then noticed the victim’s multiple gunshot wounds.

Jenny said the first major break came when a woman saw the news that night and realized the teen had been killed near her business. The owner recalled seeing two young men running in the area around 8 p.m. That was backed up by surveillance video at her business which showed two people run from the scene, then return to the car and then turn around and leave again.

Police couldn’t identify the faces on the video, which didn’t show the actual shooting. But a witness reported seeing the brothers get into Garcia Thacker’s car shortly before he was killed, and investigators developed information the Quinteros were hiding out in Walla Walla to evade their arrest warrants.

Jenny noted that unlike television shows, police in real life don’t always find evidence that places a suspect at the scene of the crime.

It’s impossible to say who did the shooting, he added, but prosecutors had planned to argue the brothers were working together and while one may have pulled the trigger, the other was ready to assist by his presence.

Jenny also said that if the brothers had claimed self-defense at trial, at least one of them would have taken the witness stand and been asked to identify the shooter.

Prosecutors believe Garcia Thacker was shot while his car was still moving before it crashed into a barrier. Jenny said the number of bullet wounds also suggests Garcia Thacker was not shot in self-defense, and questioned why the brothers would take the gun, run away and hide out if they were victims of some assault.

Investigators have said that Garcia Thacker may have been shot with his own gun, possibly at close range.

Scott Johnson, who represented Jaden Quintero, said he was confident prosecutors wouldn’t be able to prove at trial that his client had a role in the shooting.

The attorney said it’s been frustrating because Jaden started the case as a juvenile — he was 17 at the time — and the resolution should have happened a long time ago so his client could go free.

He added that there have been a lot of problems with the case, including the fact the lead detective now faces felony criminal charges in an unrelated matter, another detective “has a memo in his file about mishandling of evidence” and forensic experts found scant evidence which they considered odd.

“My client bears responsibility. He was, I think, out of control during this period of time,” Johnson said.

Jaden Quintero didn’t have anything to say.

Johnson said his client is sad that a young man died and has learned a horrible lesson, but he is very nervous and has trouble putting it into words.

Judge Runge told Jaden Quintero that he is responsible for Garcia Thacker’s death, regardless of what theory would have prevailed before the jury. At a minimum, the teen was at the wrong place with the wrong people, she said.

“You need to understand the people you hang around with will determine your life, especially going forward,” Runge said.

“… You need to change your behaviors. You need to change who you hang around with. I hope you understand that. Otherwise, sadly, what you are seeing as the future for your brother could also be your future.”

This story was originally published July 21, 2017 at 10:46 AM with the headline "Update: Pasco brothers claim self-defense, plead guilty in teen’s killing."