Finley man who rejected plea bargain faces 100 years for murder

A 20-year-old Finley man likely will spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted Monday of murder, assault and weapons charges in Franklin County Superior Court.

DeShawn Anderson, who has a 2-year-old son, smiled at family members in court before and after the clerk read the jury’s verdict on six separate charges related to the murder of Lorenzo “Richie” Fernandez Jr., 22.

Anderson earlier rejected a plea bargain that would have freed him around his 50th birthday. Now he faces a potential 100-year sentence that would guarantee he will die in prison.

The jury of seven women and five men convicted Anderson of first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree assault and multiple weapons charges stemming from the 2014 killing of Fernandez.

He faces a sentence of at least 65 to 86 years for the murder and assault charges because Washington law requires sentences for serious violent felonies to be served back-to-back. The firearms charges carry an additional 25-year mandatory term.

Defense attorney Shelley Ajax told jurors in closing arguments that no one identified Anderson as the shooter in the murder or in an earlier shooting attributed to him.

The December murder was the climax of a series of shootings that seriously injured three and killed another man besides Fernandez.

It began Nov. 18, 2014, when Anderson and another man allegedly fired 21 rounds into a parked car holding four men — Carlos Torres-Tapia, Jesus Guillermo Bueno, Alejandro Saldana-Alvarado and Jonathan Alvarado.

Three of the men suffered serious injuries, while the fourth was grazed by a bullet.

The following night apparently brought retaliation.

A car with Anderson’s friend Anthony Guerrero, Anderson’s cousin, and another man was attacked with gunfire. Guerrero, 20, died hours later from his wounds.

Prosecutors allege that Anderson retaliated for his friend’s death on Dec. 3, 2014. He targeted Fernandez, reportedly because he was affiliated with a gang that was believed to have killed Guerrero. Prosecutors said Fernandez was lured to the Stonegate Apartments on Road 68 in Pasco, then shot at eight times while seated in his Ford Mustang.

Deputy Prosecutor Brian Hultgrenn reminded jurors in closing arguments that several witnesses testified how Anderson had a dispute with a group of people.

And while Anderson claimed the four men in the parked car had threatened him and he was defending himself, Hultgrenn noted that the car was riddled with bullets, and the injuries are consistent with being attacked from behind.

The crimes were about Anderson’s ego and him proving himself, the prosecutor said.

This story was originally published June 6, 2016 at 10:28 AM with the headline "Finley man who rejected plea bargain faces 100 years for murder."