Prosecutor alleges history of domestic violence in Kennewick murder case

The charge against a 20-year-old man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend on Christmas Eve was amended Wednesday to allege a history of domestic violence in the relationship.

Francisco Javier Munoz Quintero pleaded innocent to the amended charge.

He also waived his right to a speedy trial so the date could be pushed out to May 16.

Benton County Prosecutor Andy Miller did not object to the delay, saying it was the first request from the defense for a continuance on the six-week-old case.

Munoz Quintero is charged in Benton County Superior Court with second-degree murder with a firearm. The charge includes aggravating circumstances of domestic violence and that the crime had a destructive and foreseeable impact on others.

Luisa A. Garcia Farias, 21, gave her ex a ride from Mabton to a Kennewick neighborhood late Dec. 24 when he confronted her about getting back together.

The Pasco woman turned him down and ordered him out of the car.

Instead, Munoz Quintero allegedly pulled a 9 mm pistol from his waistband, cursed about losing her and then fired two shots, hitting the young mother in the abdomen. A witness reported seeing Munoz Quintero push a woman out of the car and drive off.

The couple’s 22-month-old daughter was in the backseat during the incident.

Munoz Quintero already faced one aggravating allegation of domestic violence because the crime occurred within sight or sound of a minor child.

On Wednesday, Miller said that he was adding a second aggravated allegation because subsequent law enforcement investigation and discussions with the victim’s family indicated evidence of an ongoing pattern of domestic violence.

The couple started dating in 2012 and most recently lived together in North Dakota, according to court documents. Then about four or five months ago, the two got into an argument and Garcia Farias moved with her daughter to the Tri-Cities after breaking up with Munoz Quintero.

He had followed her back to Washington and was living with a relative in Mabton, though he didn’t appear to have a steady address, documents show.

On Christmas Eve, Garcia Farias had driven to Mabton to pick up her daughter after getting off work. She worked in security at the Richland Walmart.

She agreed to drive Munoz Quintero to a friend’s apartment in Kennewick and had just turned into the 600 block of Tweedt Street when he asked for another chance.

Munoz Quintero claims that after he pulled out the gun, Garcia Farias reached for it to avoid being shot and that’s when it went off “twice very quickly,” documents said.

He also told police that Garcia Farias got out of the 2012 Nissan Sentra on her own, but the witness who called 911 reported seeing a man pushing a woman into the street.

Garcia Farias was taken by ambulance to Trios Southridge Hospital in Kennewick, where she was pronounced dead just after midnight.

Munoz Quintero turned himself in about 19 hours later after being convinced by a friend and seeing he “was all over Facebook.”

He remains in the Benton County jail on $500,000 bail.

This story was originally published February 3, 2016 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Prosecutor alleges history of domestic violence in Kennewick murder case."