Gang member faces decades in prison for Benton City shooting, Yakima murder

A gang member is facing decades in prison after opening fire into a Benton City party and wounding five people.

Ruben Marin, 25, pleaded guilty in Yakima County Superior Court earlier this month to five counts of first-degree assault tied to the June 2023 shooting at a graduation party on Willard Avenue.

He also admitted to shooting and killing 26-year-old Omar Garcia outside a Yakima apartment complex in October 2023.

Marin has been in the Yakima County jail facing the murder charges since October 2023. The attorneys in both counties worked together on a plea agreement that covered both cases.

He is facing between 24 and 33 years in prison when he is sentenced, according to court documents. Prosecutors and defense attorneys plan to ask for a 28-year sentence.

Marin traveled from Yakima to the Benton City party looking to shoot rival gang members. By the end of the night, five uninvolved partygoers would be wounded, and a fellow gang member, Jesus Contreras Chacon ended up dead.

The woman who allegedly drove both men to and away from the party, Vanessa M. Martinez, 24, pleaded guilty to helping the men escape and served 10 months in jail.

A member of the same gang, Elijah M. Cruz, 22, is accused of opening fire on Marin and Contreras Chacon as they fled. He continues to be charged with first-degree murder for his part in the shooting.

Willard Avenue shooting

A combination of Instagram messages and security video show Marin, Contreras Chacon, Martinez and another woman drove from Yakima to Benton City in Martinez’s car.

While Contreras Chacon had to convince Marin to come to the party, he was the one who suggested looking for rival gang members. He got a gun from a fellow gang member and brought it to the party, court documents said.

Marin was standing near the open door when he fired 12 shots into the crowded garage. Witnesses told investigators that the attack was unprovoked. It was not a gang affiliated party.

In the messages, he claimed he saw rival gang members at the party. Five teens, ages 15 to 18, who were standing near the entrance were wounded, according to court documents.

A security video shows teens screaming and running from the party to their cars. The video shows Cruz running and ducking behind a parked vehicle.

The car driven by Martinez and carrying Contreras Chacon and Marin sped past his hiding spot. When Martinez turned onto Kiona Road, Cruz fired at the car, hitting Contreras Chacon in the back, said court documents.

Police said they were able to place Cruz at the scene of the shooting using his cellphone location.

Yakima murder

Four months after the shooting, police had just charged Marin in connection with the Benton City shooting when he got involved in a fight with a man outside a Roosevelt Avenue apartment complex in Yakima.

Two other man allegedly stopped a black car and approached Garcia when he was on the side of the road and started a fight with him.

While Marin yelled and appeared to record the fight, he didn’t participate. At the end, Marin pulled out a handgun and shot Garcia.

They then got into the black car and drove away.