Shooter accused of killing mom faces Pasco murder charge
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Jonathan Villegas appeared in court for murder in Pasco shooting case.
- Police confirmed two shooters using .40 and .45 caliber handguns in attack.
- Villegas held on $2M bail as investigators search for second suspect.
The 30-year-old man accused of killing a mother inside a Pasco home has been brought back to the Tri-Cities to face a murder charge.
Jonathon Villegas appeared by video in Franklin County Superior Court on Friday afternoon after being arrested late last week by a combination of federal, regional and local police in Umatilla County.
He is being held on a $2 million nationwide warrant and was transferred to the Franklin County jail on Thursday.
Villegas is one of two suspected shooters who killed Lupita Ponce-Penaloza on July 23 in a detached garage turned apartment on Marie Street.
Judge Bronson Brown kept bail at $2 million. Villegas’ attorney reserved the right to ask at a later date for a lower amount.
Villegas is expected to enter a plea Tuesday.
Pasco police said in a post on Monday that they are continuing to investigate the shooting. Information on a suspected second shooter has not been released.
Police were called to the home about 2:20 a.m. July 23 for reports that a woman had been shot. When officers arrived, they found Ponce-Penaloza was shot several times. She died at the apartment
Court documents show a friend told investigators that Ponce-Penaloza, who has a young son, went to the friend’s home with Villegas, who she referred to as “Trucha,” court documents said.
In a message to a friend, Ponce-Penaloza questioned whether “Trucha” had “set her up.”
Shortly before the shooting, she sent a message saying one of the men was mad.
Villegas pulled a .45-caliber handgun from underneath a coffee table before allegedly shooting Ponce-Penaloza. He then opened the door for a second man, who also shot her, the witness said.
Washington State Patrol crime lab investigators have confirmed two different calibers of shell casings were found at the apartment.
Court documents said they recovered .40 and .45 caliber rounds.
Villegas has a lengthy criminal history in Franklin County, dating back to 2009. He was convicted of second-degree assault in 2012 and second-degree robbery in 2018. Both convictions prohibited him from owning a gun.
This story was originally published August 3, 2025 at 5:00 AM.