Found gun may be linked to Christmas Eve murder

A firearm found along Interstate 82 is being examined for its possible use in the murder of a woman on Christmas Eve.

Investigators with Kennewick police searched about 14 miles of the interstate between Prosser and Benton City on Dec. 31 for the weapon used to kill Luisa Garcia Farias, 21. News of that search led a group of citizens who found a firearm along the highway the day after Christmas to call police the day of the search and turn it in, a release said.

Francisco Javier Munoz Quintero, 20, Garcia Farias’ boyfriend, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder with aggravating circumstances related to the woman’s death.

Garcia Farias was reportedly pushed from a car near Hood Avenue and Tweedt Street on Dec. 24 after she was shot. She was taken to Trios Southridge Hospital where she was pronounced dead just after midnight.

Munoz Quintero turned himself into police the evening of Christmas Day. He told police he and his girlfriend were arguing in her car when he pulled out a 9mm firearm and pointed it at her, according to court documents. They struggled and the gun went off. The couple’s child was in the backseat at the time.

This story was originally published January 6, 2016 at 9:44 AM with the headline "Found gun may be linked to Christmas Eve murder."