Body of missing man found near Richland the day after his killer pleads guilty
Investigators found the body of a 38-year-old man, the day after his killer pleaded guilty to his murder.
Detectives say they have discovered Thursday morning what is believed to be Oscar Munos’ body in the area of Horn Rapids Park off of Highway 225, near Richland.
Munos’ family, who had pleaded with his killer, Michael Ray Golden, to reveal the location, has been notified, Kennewick police said in a news release.
The Benton County Coroner’s Office has the body and is planning an autopsy on Friday.
The discovery comes less than a day after Golden, 23, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in Benton County Superior Court. Munos was his roommate.
Golden was sentenced to 19 1/2 years in prison for the crime.
He told investigators that he shot Munos on New Year’s Eve after voices in his head warned him that Munos was going to shoot him.
Golden, his mother Kari Ann Golden, 54, and his girlfriend, Coral Ochoa Hernandez, 33, allegedly helped him move the body out of the Arrowhead Avenue home that he shared with Munos.
Police didn’t learn that Munos was missing and begin investigating until early February.
Shooting
Kennewick police have been looking for Munos since his disappearance was reported by a relative.
Michael Golden and his girlfriend lived in the home with Munos and several other people.
He told investigators that he had been hearing voices claiming that Munos was going to shoot him and needed to defend himself, according to court documents
On New Year’s Eve, Golden confronted Munos with a shotgun. He pointed it at him several times before pulling the trigger, according to court documents.
He allegedly told investigators that he, his girlfriend and his mother moved the body from the bedroom to the garage in a large black wheelbarrow. They then loaded him into his mother’s car and buried him in a shallow grave in Benton County, court documents said.
Investigators eventually found a wheelbarrow and bags covered in blood during a search of the Arrowhead Avenue home.
This story was originally published March 14, 2024 at 1:27 PM.