Homicides surged in Benton County in 2022. A grisly record was set
Benton County closed out the year with a record-setting 19 homicides — with few patterns tied to the grisly surge.
The deadly year started with the discovery of a missing 8-year-old’s remains in Finley and ended with a fatal shooting on New Year’s Eve in Richland.
Benton County Coroner’s Office statistics date back only to 2008 and since then there has never been this many homicides in a single year.
Franklin County did not see the same spike. It had five homicide cases in 2022, including one officer-involved shooting. That’s the same number as in 2020.
Benton County also had a high number of homicide cases in 2021. It was the next worst year with 10 homicides. And that did not include vehicular homicides.
Most years, Benton County law enforcement officials investigate about six homicides.
The homicides in 2022 included six linked to gang activity, four involved domestic violence and two appeared to have been in self-defense.
Suspects have been arrested in all but two of the deaths. A father and his girlfriend, who are accused of killing 8-year-old Edgar Casian, remain at large, likely in Mexico.
And there’s been no apparent arrest in the last homicide of the year when a young man was shot and killed in Richland on Dec. 31.
Just over half of the homicides happened within the city limits of Kennewick with another three happening on the fringes of the city limits. Four more took place in Richland and two others were in Finley and rural Benton County.
Three of the accused killers are receiving mental health treatment at Eastern State Hospital before their cases can move forward in court. Another one is getting a second examination after he was found competent to stand trial.
Many of the deaths involved young teens.
Four teens are currently charged with murder, the youngest being 13 years old.
In addition, a 14-year-old is accused of second-degree manslaughter. And a 15-year-old who was reportedly defending his grandmother from an apparent domestic assault was not charged.
February
▪ The discovery of 8-year-old Edgar Casian’s body in a Finley field is considered the first Benton County homicide of the year, though it’s unclear where and when he was killed.
The Pasco boy was last seen in September 2020. Pasco police had been asking since June 2021 for the public’s help in finding him after his two sisters turned up sick and starving in Mexico. Their distraught mother starting asking authorities for help when her ex-husband took custody of the children and disappeared.
Murder warrants have been issued for their father, Edgar Casian-Garcia, and his girlfriend, Araceli Medina, who are believed to have fled to Mexico.
▪ On Feb. 7, Aaron Christoper Kelly, 40, is charged with killing Justin Krumbah as he was filling Instacart orders at the Richland Fred Meyer store. He then shot and wounded store employee Mark Hill, and terrified a store full of customers, before he fled.
He was arrested 11 hours later.
Eastern State Hospital officials have concluded he isn’t competent to stand trial. A judge’s order allowed the hospital to force him to be medicated, and he is continuing to receive treatment for an unspecified schizophrenia disorder.
His next expected court date is in January.
April
▪ Ezekiel Sanchez, 25, was killed on April 20 when Ramon “Hondo” Candido, 27, allegedly opened fire on his car in Kennewick at the intersection of First Avenue and Dayton Street in an apparent gang-related shootout.
Candido has been charged with second-degree murder, with a trial set for Feb. 6.
▪ Three days later, on April 23, Zale Underwood, 70, was mowing his lawn outside of his Gum Street home outside the city limits when he was approached by neighbor Hector Munguia, 18.
The teen stabbed him several times before running off, say court documents. He was later brought to the Benton County Sheriff’s Office by his mother.
Munguia was charged with premeditated first-degree murder, though the motive remains unclear. While he was found competent to stand trial, he continues to undergo mental health evaluation.
▪ Then three days later, Kathy Wilcox, 72, was allegedly shot and killed by her husband on April 26 before he set their Elm Street home on fire and fled the Tri-Cities, according to investigators.
Brian Wilcox, 68, was arrested in Del City, Okla., and charged with premeditated first-degree murder and first-degree arson. His trial is set for Feb. 13.
▪ Ricardo Rivera, 17, was shot on April 28 inside his car on Rhode Island Court in Kennewick where he went to drop off $25 worth of marijuana oil.
Four teens were seen running from the area. Two brothers, Jacob, 18, and Jacquez Young, 16, have been charged with the killing. The other teens have not been charged. The 16-year-old’s case has been moved to adult court.
May
▪ Well-known musician Clayton “Clay” Wick, 76, was savagely attacked inside of his Kennewick home on May 4.
Christopher Calvert, 44, is charged with killing the man in revenge for getting fired by Wick’s friend in Oregon.
Investigators said Wick was beaten, stabbed and cut before being left to die. His killer also stole his wallet and car.
With the help of federal agents, Calvert was arrested in Skamania County, and is charged with premeditated first-degree murder. His trial is April 17.
July
▪ Jordan Patrick Taylor, 30, of Pasco, was killed on July 15 after he allegedly opened fire on members of a rival motorcycle gang on Clearwater Avenue. Suspects have been identified but no one is charged in his death.
▪ Bethany Jean Lowe, 47, was stabbed to death July 27 by her son, David Lowe, after he broke into her Richland home, say court documents. He also allegedly stabbed her longtime boyfriend Andy Davis, leaving him seriously injured.
Lowe told investigators he believed his mother and her boyfriend had killed his young daughter, who is not dead.
He was found not competent to stand trial and is currently being treated at Eastern State Hospital.
August
▪ Leroy N. Martin, 73, is charged with stabbing and strangling his wife Susan Martin, 66, at their home in Kennewick on Aug. 10.
He reportedly suffers from dementia and believed his wife had stolen a valuable coin and was having an affair, said court documents.
Leroy Martin is currently undergoing mental health treatment at Eastern State Hospital after being found incompetent to stand trial. It’s unclear whether the treatment will be effective. A review hearing is scheduled for Feb. 8.
September
▪ Fernando Pulido, 30, died after being found shot in the chest in a Fourth Avenue home on Sept. 22. Investigators say Lonny Barton Owens, 29, shot Pulido while he was fighting with another man in the house.
An anonymous tip said Barton Owens had taken drugs and cash from Pulido’s car. His trial is Feb. 13.
▪ Brandy Ebanez, 34, was found on Sept. 27 wrapped up in black plastic sheeting and a bed comforter with landscaping-style rocks tied to her ankles in the Columbia River.
The Kennewick mother was last heard by her children fighting with her live-in boyfriend before she disappeared, say court documents.
Her boyfriend, Richard Jacobsen, 34, was found in Multonomah County, Ore., with the couple’s two children.
He is awaiting extradition back to Benton County to face a first-degree murder charge.
October
▪ Jatzivy Sarabia, 18, was shot and killed during a reported ambush while riding with some friends on Oct. 15.
Police say Isaiah Combs, 19, and Layshawne Bethea-Dickerson, 13, opened fire on the Jeep after they told the women they would lead them to a party. The shooting may have been retaliation for a confrontation the day before in Spokane.
Combs is charged with first-degree murder and his trial is May 8. Prosecutors have asked that Bethea-Dickerson be charged as an adult.
▪ Elias Salazar, 17, was shot in the head while hanging out with a group of gang members on North Volland Street in Kennewick, according to investigators.
He was rushed flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where he died Oct. 18.
Talen Trumble, 14, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, saying they were drinking while he was holding Salazar’s gun and it accidentally fired while he was laughing.
▪ A 13-month toddler was left in tub by himself by his father Jonnathan K. Rodriguez, 25, on Oct. 28 at a Richland hotel.
The child died two days later at Seattle Children’s Hospital. Rodriguez has been charged with second-degree manslaughter. His trial is scheduled for Feb. 6.
▪ On Oct. 29, Julian Chavez, 19, was shot while dropping off vape pens, marijuana and rolling papers on Fifth Avenue. Investigators believe Victor Cervantes and Hector Pantoja, both 14, set up the purchase with the intent to rob him.
Both are charged in Benton-Franklin Juvenile Court with first-degree murder. In both cases, prosecutors have asked to move the case to adult court.
November
▪ An argument between 54-year-old Shane Taylor and his wife turned into a physical fight at a home northwest of Benton City on Nov. 3. Taylor’s 15-year-old grandson called 911 to report the escalating violence and ended up stabbing him while defending his grandmother, said investigators.
Prosecutors so far have declined to charge the teen with a crime.
▪ Mark Jurgens, 67, was allegedly shot twice by the son of his ex-girlfriend in the doorway of his Third Avenue home on Nov. 17.
Antonio James Aguilar-Hartman, 24, was visiting there with his mother.
A security camera picked up the escalating argument. Two shots were audible in the video and Jurgens collapsed after the second one. Aguilar-Hartman is charged with first-degree murder and his trial is April 10.
December
The final homicide of the year happened just before midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Richland police were told about a fight on the 1700 block of Jadwin Avenue and they arrived to find a man, about 19 to 22 years old, with several gunshot wounds.
Witnesses reported seeing several people fleeing from the area after the shots were heard but as of Monday there was no new information released by Richland police and no homicide suspect listed as being booked into the Benton County jail.
This story was originally published January 2, 2023 at 12:59 PM.