‘Evil, wicked and vile.’ Teen sentenced for Richland New Year’s Eve murder

An 18-year-old man went looking for trouble when he left a Richland apartment on New Year’s Eve, a deputy prosecutor said.

Rafael Torres Topete found it when he fired twice at the already wounded 21-year-old Michael Castoreno at the Columbia Park Apartments. Castoreno was killed.

His family filled several rows in a Benton County courtroom Monday as they shared their loss and pain and desire to see Torres Topete sentenced to the 12-year maximum term in prison.

His mother, Kristina Ortiz, said her son’s death has left her devastated, and while he was not perfect, he was a good man who was loved by many.

“You took a piece of us that we can never get back,” she told the Torres Topete. “What you did was pure evil, wicked and vile.”

The family’s tearful pleas were not lost on Judge Jackie Shea-Brown who said Torres Topete made a series of bad choices that led to the shooting, including using drugs and alcohol and belonging to a gang.

“Michael needed you, even in that situation, to do something right. And here, you went and did the weak thing,” she told Torres Topete.

“Strength requires restraint, discipline, choosing a value system that you’re going to live by and what that means is you do not hurt others. ... And when someone’s hurt, you help them Even if you’re going to get hurt yourself,” she said.

Torres Topete previously pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter for his part in the Dec. 31, 2022 shooting. The charge was lessened from what started as first-degree murder, Deputy Prosecutor Tyler Grandgeorge said.

That made the sentencing range nine to 12 years in prison.

The other shooter, Felipe Manjares, 20, remains charged with first-degree murder in Benton County Superior Court. He is scheduled for trial on Aug. 26.

Grandgeorge and Torres Topete’s attorney Karla Kane focused their arguments on whether the teen should get a lesser sentence because was only 17 at the time of the shooting.

Kane argued her client suffered a life filled with health and mental health struggles.

“I think it’s clear that it’s even exacerbated more when you have a situation where peer pressure (and) other individuals are involved,” Kane said.

Grandgeorge noted the prosecutors had lessened the charge in part because of his age and in part because he was the second person to fire.

He also noted that Torres Topete had a history of crimes and disciplinary problems while in state and local custody.

“To the extent that Mr. Torres Topete is entitled to any leniency due to his had that it needs to extend beyond that amendment,” he said. “This was not a spur of the moment, accidental shooting. He didn’t simply happen to have his gun drawn in an impromptu moment before he pulled the trigger.”

New Year’s Eve shooting

“Michael was one of the funniest people in the world,” his brother Ezra Ortiz said. “He liked to make people laugh. And he truly cared for people, his family, his friends, especially those who he loved.”

He was visiting the apartment complex when he and another man crossed paths about 8 p.m. on New Year’s Eve 2022.

The teens allegedly asked what their two gang affiliations were, and when Castoreno answered, one teen pulled a gun out and began firing, according to court documents.

His family said Castoreno wasn’t affiliated with gangs and he was shot because he happened to have a blue Washington State University hat.

Video surveillance showed four shots fired, which are believed to have been from Manjares. Then Torres Topete is believed to have fired two more times.

The group then fled, leaving Castoreno for dead.

A police dog search led officers to an apartment that had been tied to a separate investigation into recent robberies in the area.

Manjares and several others involved in the shooting were identified through a photo posted on Instagram from the night of the shooting, in which they were wearing the same clothing as seen on security cameras in the area.

Castoreno’s family learned about the shooting first through Facebook and then messages telling them that he had been killed. They described frantic drives to the Richland Police Department.

One of his friends, identified only as CH, provided a letter to be read during the sentencing.

“I decided to drive to the scene of the crime and take my friend home,” CH wrote. “Seeing Michael, my friend, brother, protector, on the ground lifeless, knowing that I couldn’t protect him like he did for me, broke my heart in ways I cannot explain.”

Troubled youth

A psychological evaluation provided by a defense expert explained that the teen had a medical problem when he was 1 that left him with permanent issues. He was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and struggled in school.

In addition, he went through periods of homelessness and other trauma that pushed him into gangs.

“Obviously in this case, my client wishes the events did not transpire, but it was made,” Kane said. “It was made quickly. He didn’t think about it. ... His brain is not developed to the point where he can have the capability to think about the long-term implications of his actions.”

She noted that he was surrounded by his peers who were also part of the same gang and he was expected to act in certain ways.

Kane also noted that her client took responsibility for his role in the shooting.

Grandgeorge argued the crime was not a whim. The teens had left the apartment armed with guns and confronted several people over the course of the night.

What followed was a one-sided gunfight, where Manjares fired first. Instead of letting him have a fighting chance, Torres Topete killed Castoreno, he said.

And Grandgeorge argued that Torres Topete hasn’t shown remorse. After pleading guilty, he’s continued to get into fights in jail.

“He was over there in Benton County jail, someone exchanged a look with him and he thought they were part of a rival gang. ... They got into a fight in front of jail staff in a controlled environment.”

Judge’s response

Shea Brown spent several minutes talking with Torres Topete.

She acknowledged that the teen had struggled in his life and was still young. But he had dealt with his struggles in way that were destructive, including using drugs and alcohol since he was 12 and 13.

She said turning to gangs showed weakness because they can’t handle their issues in a respectful way.

“The awful thing that is in someways the root of all of this is hating because of a color,” she said. “Hate has no place in a civilized society, and people who generate hate so others sign on, you should never buy into.”

She said she hopes he finds people who will help him make the right decisions, because it’s not going to be easy in prison.

“You must have those people to help you. You must have them. It’s not gangs.,” she said.

This story was originally published July 31, 2024 at 5:00 AM.