Murder suspect accused of threatening witness during Tri-Cities trial

A murder suspect is accused of trying to intimidate a witness testifying at his trial last week.

Marcell A. E. Cola’s defense attorney argued the threatening expletives by his client came from the frustration of a man angry about being falsely accused of a crime.

Cola’s trial for aggravated first-degree murder entered its third week of testimony with Torrey Daniels taking the stand.

The 24-year-old Spokane man was one of the passengers in a silver Kia on Chemical Drive in Kennewick in October 2022 when shots were fired at a Jeep. In all, police found 73 shell casings believed to have been fired by four gunmen.

One of bullet hit and killed 18-year-old Jatzivy Sarabia during the ambush-style chase. The Richland teen was spending time with her friends and was planning to go to a party in Finley.

Daniels told jurors that he had been sitting in the back of the car in the middle seat when he saw Cola open fire at Sarabia’s Jeep.

Cola, who has been in jail since his arrest in 2024, walked past Daniels during a break in court testimony. He called Daniels a number of expletives as he was leaving the courtroom without the jury in the room.

Late, prosecutors questioned Daniels about the alleged threats.

“I think they were trying to intimidate me,” Daniels testified, saying Cola’s family previously sent messages calling him a “rat.”

The judge allowed Daniels to tell jurors about the alleged threat when the trial resumed on Thursday.

Cola is the first of four accused shooters to go on trial in Benton County.

Darrious A Thomason, 20, and Layshawne Bethea-Dickerson, 17, are scheduled for trials on June 15, and Isaiah S.R. Combs, 23, is scheduled for May 11.

Daniels Testimony

Daniels did provide a lot of details about the events leading up to the Oct. 15, 2022, shooting.

He had ties with Cola, Thomason, 21, and another man involved in the shooting, Marlon C. Pratt. All lived in Spokane.

He said Combs and Bethea-Dickerson came to Spokane with four women, including Sarabia, the day before the shooting. Daniels explained that he had known Combs previously, but it had been some time since they lived in the same city.

Daniels testified that he spent the day using marijuana and hanging out. At one point, the group went to a bar. Daniels explained that he was inside and outside the bar.

He said at some point he saw tensions rise between one of the women and Combs.

Others are expected to testify that there were problems between Aubreyanna Asselin and Combs that resulted in Combs pointing a gun at her.

“(Combs) was upset. He was mad,” Daniels said.

Daniels wasn’t able to share what happened after the tensions escalated, but he said that he went with Cola, Thomason and Pratt to the Tri-Cities. He explained that they stopped at the 3-Cities Sports Bar on Columbia Drive.

“Tensions got kind of high,” he said.

Both groups left for another party at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Yew Street. Daniels explained that they were only there for a short period of time before a some of the people at the party threatened them to leave.

Daniels said he was sitting in the center of the back seat between Bethea-Dickerson and Thomason as they drove away from the party. They were trying to decide where to go next, and Daniels said he was preparing a marijuana cigar.

“Everything kind of transpired from there,” Daniels said. “I heard shots ... from behind us.”

Daniels said he didn’t see where those first shots came from, but they were from behind them. He didn’t see the Jeep that was being fired at. He testified that he saw Cola shooting.

When the shooting stopped, the silver Kia drove some distance before stopping and pulling over. Daniels said they were checking to make sure everyone was OK and that the car hadn’t been shot.

He, Cola and Thomason felt bad about the shooting, but Bethea-Dickerson appeared hyped about his participation.

Change in charges

Daniels was arrested along with Cola and Thomason in connection with the murder more than two years after the shooting.

At the time, Daniels’ girlfriend came forward with information that tied him to the shooting.

When he initially talked with police, he told them he had never been to the Tri-Cities and wasn’t involved in the shooting. He later said the people in the Jeep fired first.

He was arrested and charged with aggravated first-degree murder, and was being held on $1 million bail. Those charges were later lessened to criminal mischief and his bail was lessened to $10,000.

He is currently being monitored electronically in a home in Spokane. He is only allowed to leave to go to work.

While Daniels testified that he didn’t make a deal for his testimony, Defense Attorney Bob Thompson asked him about the change.

“Just so you know, I came forth and told my lawyers that I wanted to do those interviews, so I wasn’t in jail for a crime that I didn’t commit,” Daniels said.

When Thompson pressed him about the seating arrangement inside the car, Daniels said he’d been in one of the outside seats during the drive to the party, but had changed seats after they left.