He helped kill a Tri-Cities mother and dump her body. Now he’s heading to prison
A 44-year-old man admitted this week to helping kill a West Richland mother of four before rolling her body into the Columbia River.
It’s been nearly five years since Michelle Hudnall’s body was found on the shore of Carbody Beach, 15 miles north of Pasco.
Three people were eventually charged in her death.
Florentino Jai Castillo is the last case to be resolved. He pleaded guilty this week to conspiracy to commit first-degree manslaughter. He was initially charged with second-degree murder.
He faces a sentencing range of 9 to 12 years in prison. Sentencing is set for Dec. 12.
Prosecutors plan to ask for the minimum end of the range, according to court documents.
Hudnall’s boyfriend, Benny Lozano, 32, already is serving a 12-year sentence after pleading guilty to first-degree manslaughter in 2019.
Guadalupe A. Sanchez pleaded guilty to first-degree rendering criminal assistance and was sentenced to a year and three months in prison for her role in Hudnall’s death.
Hudnall grew up in Burbank and had worked as a certified nursing assistant and held other jobs over the years.
The 40-year-old West Richland mother left behind four kids, who at the time she died, ranged from elementary school age to 19.
Her mother, Davietta Hudnall, said during Lozano’s sentencing that Michelle was loved and missed.
May 2018 murder
Michelle Hudnall was killed on May 13, 2018, while in her van with Lozano and Castillo. A witness told investigators that Lozano called Hudnall his girlfriend.
Prosecutors say he and Castillo killed her because, “She wouldn’t shut her f----- mouth.”
The men hauled Hudnall’s body into a Pasco apartment and then to the trunk of Sanchez’s car, according to court documents.
About 24 hours later, a group including the trio drove north toward rural Franklin County and rolled her tarp-wrapped body down a steep embankment into the river, documents said.
They burned their own gloves and shoes.
Hudnall’s body was found more than seven weeks later in July.
This story was originally published November 30, 2023 at 5:00 PM.