Tri-Cities teen pleads guilty for role in gang related robbery turned killing
A Tri-Cities teen is expected to spend 6 1/2 years in prison after a robbery plot turned deadly.
On Thursday, Jacquez Young, 17, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter for his role in the April 2022 shooting of Ricardo Rivera.
Young didn’t admit that he committed manslaughter, but admitted that he faced the possibility of being convicted of first-degree murder if the case went to trial.
Young was 15 when he was accused of being part of a group of four teens who lured Rivera to a neighborhood near the 2100 block of Rhode Island Court in Columbia Center Estates claiming they wanted to buy marijuana oil.
He was initially arrested and charged with the murder. While he was originally charged in juvenile court, a judge ruled he should face adult charges.
The manslaughter charge would normally carry a two-year maximum for Young, but the judge agreed to allow prosecutors to seek the exceptional sentence of 6 1/2 years.
It’s not clear how long he will spend in juvenile rehabilitation as part of that sentence.
Deputy Prosecutor Julie Long told Judge Sam Swanberg that she would explain the reasoning for the change in the charge during Young’s sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for Feb. 28.
The teen was joined in the courtroom by several supporters.
Rivera’s father also appeared in the courtroom.
Young is the second of four teens to admit to their role in robbing and killing Rivera. His older brother, Jacob Young, 19, is serving 13 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.
At the time, Long said the four teens only had one gun, so it would be difficult to show that they all aware of what was going to happen.
The Youngs’ co-defendants, brothers Vontell Wesson, 17, and Syntrell Wesson, 16, continue to face charges of first-degree murder. Their trial is scheduled for Feb. 12.
Role in the robbery
The Youngs and Wessons allegedly hatched a plot to rob Rivera. At first they aimed for a Pasco neighborhood, but they rescheduled it for the west Kennewick neighborhood on April 28, 2022.
Jacob Young used the name “Dontae100” on the SnapChat messenger app to set up a meeting to drop off a gram of marijuana oil, worth about $25.
He was met by the group and a witness saw him struggling with them outside of his car. At that point, one of the teens allegedly shot him.
They allegedly grabbed about $5,000 in cash that Rivera had brought with him before running away.
All four teens had ties to the Gangster Disciples and were part of a group of gang members who called themselves the “Blitz Crew,” according to court documents.
While not an official gang, the group drew members from the Gangster Disciples and the Crips, police have said.