Judge grants break in Benton County triple murder case

A Benton County Superior Court judge refused Tuesday to dismiss triple murder charges against Francisco Resendez Miranda over a late investigative report.

A report from the Benton County Sheriff’s Office detailing a Facebook conversation between the witnesses didn’t get turned over to prosecutors or defense attorneys until this week. The report is one of hundreds in the case.

Shane Silverthorn, lead attorney for Resendez Miranda, asked Judge Bruce Spanner to dismiss the case because of the late discovery of the report. Silverthorn told the judge the case was mismanaged and receiving the report late affected his ability to represent Resendez Miranda.

Silverthorn noted that Prosecutor Andy Miller also wasn’t aware of the report until recently.

Miller said his office has provided timely evidence reports to the defense throughout the case and has gone out of the way to ensure attorneys could interview witnesses. He argued the issue doesn’t come “anywhere close to the threshold” for a dismissal.

Spanner denied Silverthorn’s request, but allowed the attorney time to interview the witnesses before they take the stand.

The trial is set to resume Friday in Kennewick. The court already was closed Wednesday for Veterans Day.

Resendez Miranda, 24 is charged with three counts of aggravated first-degree murder in the 2014 deaths of David Perez-Saucedo, Abigail Torres-Renteria and Victoria Torres. The victims were found shot in a rural Benton County cornfield.

The Umatilla man is facing life in prison if convicted.

This story was originally published November 10, 2015 at 6:28 PM with the headline "Judge grants break in Benton County triple murder case."