These 10 murder cases shocked Tri-Cities. What happened to convicted killers?

From mass shootings to serial rape, the Tri-Cities has seen its fair share of violent crime.

A number of murder cases hit communities in Benton and Franklin counties particularly hard.

The individuals convicted of those killings received lengthy sentences. With the death penalty abolished in Washington state, most will remain in prison until they die.

Where are the inmates serving their sentences — and could they be set free?

Here’s what to know:

Where is the killer of Judge James Lawless incarcerated?

In 1974, Franklin County Judge James Lawless was killed by a pipe bomb sent to his courthouse chambers.

Law enforcement officials identified Ricky Anthony Young as the 50-year-old judge’s killer through partial fingerprints found on a piece of tape on the package containing the bomb, although investigators suspected multiple people were involved, the Tri-City Herald previously reported.

The first trial against Young ended in mistrial. After he was retried and convicted of murder in 1976, he was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 77 years.

Washington State Department of Corrections records show Young, now 74, is serving his sentence at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center in Connell.

What happened to killers behind Pasco body shop massacre?

Five young men were killed and another was injured in a shooting at a Pasco auto body shop in 1987.

Two men opened fire in the garage, killing Misael Barajas, Juan Antonio Lopez Garcia, Eliceo Guzman Lamas, Rafael Parra Magallon and Francisco Venegas Cortez. A sixth man, Aldo Montes Lamas, was also shot but survived by getting underneath a car.

All of the victims were in their early 20s.

Pedro Mendez-Reyna, was arrested in connection to the massacre six years later in Texas. He later admitted to participating in the killings, naming his cousin Vicente Ruiz as the second shooter.

In exchange for pleading guilty to murder, Mendez-Reyna was spared the death penalty and sentenced to life without the possibility of release, plus an additional 20 years for attempted murder.

Ruiz went through two mistrials in Franklin County, and his third trial was moved to Spokane County.

In 2010, Ruiz was convicted of five counts of aggravated first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder. He received five life sentences without the possibility of release.

Records show that Mendez-Ruiz, now 63, and Ruiz, 61, are serving out their sentences at Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen.

What happened to Trooper James Saunders’ killer?

Washington State Patrol Trooper James Saunders, 31, was fatally shot during a traffic stop in Pasco in 1999. He was the 26th state trooper to die in the line of duty.

Saunders had pulled over Nicolas Solorio Vasquez, who drove off after killing the trooper.

Police found the pickup truck Saunders described in his final radio message a short while later. Fingerprints in the vehicle identified Vasquez as the shooter.

According to Herald archives, Vasquez was taken into custody after a 26-hour manhunt. He entered an Aflord plea to aggravated first-degree murder, meaning he did not admit to the crime, but felt he’d likely be found guilty if the case went to trial.

Vasquez was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

Now 55, he’s serving his sentence at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.

Who’s the Richland man who murdered landlords over back rent?

In 2002, landlord Larry Ulrich, 72, and his 67-year-old wife, Jo Ulrich, were found dead from gunshot wounds in their Richland home.

The couple had rented the basement of a local duplex to Kevin Hilton for six years. Shortly before their deaths, the Ulrichs had issued Hilton a three-day notice to either move out or pay the $3,475 in back rent he owed.

After Larry Ulrich was shot to death, police found a receipt for $3,475 in his hand, made out to Hilton, according to Herald archives.

Media coverage of the case led to Hilton’s trial taking place in Asotin County.

He received a life sentence in a conviction that was later overturned by a Washington state circuit court over invalid search warrants.

During his second trial, Hilton was again convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

He’s currently 68 and serving his sentence at Airway Heights Corrections Center.

Are Bob Mars’ killers still in jail?

A beloved local coach and teacher, 44-year-old Bob Mars was killed by two teenagers in 2004.

The boys, Jordan Castillo and Robert Suarez, asked Mars for change so they could use the phone and get a ride from Kiona-Benton City Middle School to Kennewick. Instead, Mars let the teens into his portable classroom so they could use his class phone, according to prior Herald reporting.

Castillo and Suarez fatally stabbed Mars, then broke into his truck and robbed him.

Suarez, then 17, was tried as an adult and convicted in 2005 of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to nearly 27 years in prison.

Castillo, who was 14 at the time of the murder, was sentenced to nearly 30 years behind bars.

In Washington state, inmates with lengthy sentences can request a hearing for early release after at least 20 years if they were sentenced when younger than 18.

Suarez’s request for early release was initially denied. He will be again eligible for release in 2030.

Castillo’s early release hearing is expected to take place this winter.

Kennewick woman killed pregnant woman to take her baby

Another Tri-Cities murder case that received national attention was the 2008 murder of pregnant Pasco resident Araceli Camacho Gomez in Kennewick.

Camacho Gomez, 27, was nearly at full term when she met Phiengchai Sisouvanh Synhavong, who promised to give her baby clothes.

Sisouvanh Synhavong later picked up the mother of two in her car, driving her to Columbia Park in Kennewick.

Sisouvanh Synhavong then attacked Camacho Gomez, stabbing her 47 times before cutting her unborn boy from her womb, according to Herald reporting. The baby survived.

The Kennewick woman left Camacho Gomez’s body in the park.

Sisouvanh Synhavong tried to pass the baby boy off as her own, but emergency room staff determined she was not his mother.

After being convicted of aggravated first-degree murder, Sisouvanh Synhavong received a life sentence without the possibility of parole in 2010.

The 43-year-old is incarcerated at the Washington Corrections Center for Women in Rosedale.

Who killed three people in a Benton County cornfield?

In 2014, three people were found dead in a Benton County cornfield after being shot execution-style. One victim was nearly 9 months pregnant.

Francisco Resendez Miranda killed David Perez-Saucedo, 22; Abigail Torres-Renteria, 23, and Victoria Torres, 19, after discovering the trio in his apartment.

Perez-Saucedo was reportedly planning to burglarize the home, while the two women were expecting a party, according to Herald reporting.

Resendez Miranda was convicted of aggravated first-degree murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.

Now 35, he is incarcerated at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla.

What happened to Connell man who shot his girlfriend and her son?

The 2015 killing of a mother and son led to two life sentences for Prudencio Juan Fragos-Ramirez.

The Connell man had recently started dating 18-year-old Maria Guadalupe Cruz-Calvillo, the Herald previously reported. Her son Luis Lopez-Cruz was a week shy of his fourth birthday.

Prosecutors suggested Fragos-Ramirez was obsessed with his significantly younger girlfriend, and killed her because he was possessive.

Cruz-Calvillo and her son were shot inside a car, which was then set on fire and left burning in a ravine in Franklin County.

Fragos-Ramirez was convicted of aggravated first-degree murder.

He is now 35 and incarcerated at Airway Heights Corrections Center.

Where is former prison guard who killed woman for ransom money?

Kennewick resident Sandra Harris, 69, was kidnapped and shot by a former prison guard from Connell in 2016.

Theresa Wiltse, who once worked as a corrections officers at Washington State Penitentiary, shot Harris and took her from her home. Wiltse then called Harris’ husband with a $250,000 ransom demand.

Police placed a tracker in the bag holding the ransom and arrested Wiltse after she collected the cash near Eltopia, according to previous Herald reporting.

Sandra Harris’ body was later found in rural Benton County.

In 2018, Wiltse was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to aggravated first-degree murder and kidnapping.

Wiltse, 59, is serving her sentence at the Washington Corrections Center for Women.

Was a Pasco cop sentenced to prison for a Spokane cold case?

The 1986 killing of 27-year-old Spokane resident Ruby Doss went unsolved for more than 35 years.

In 2015, DNA evidence found at the murder site was tied to former Pasco police officer Richard Aguirre. However, prosecutors didn’t commit to pursuing charges against Aguirre until tests could confirm both Aguirre’s and Doss’ DNA were present.

In 2018, Aguirre was charged with Doss’ murder. He was convicted in 2023 and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Aguirre, now 61, is incarcerated at Airway Heights Corrections Center.