Gonzalez pleads guilty to murder

Cascade Valley shooter receives 15 years

EPHRATA — Prosecutors struck a second plea deal in connection with a January double shooting in Moses Lake's Cascade Valley, which left one man dead and another with a serious head wound.

A Warden man, believed by prosecutors to be the trigger man from the shooting, pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder in connection with the Jan. 2 incident.

Christian Alberto Gonzalez-Ramirez, 25, originally charged with first-degree murder, was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison by Grant County Superior Court Judge Evan Sperline for killing Frankie Corral Jr., 25, of Othello.

Gonzalez's trial date was set for Aug. 21.

"I'm just very sorry for what happened," Gonzalez told the court.

Grant County Prosecutor John Knodell recommended a mid-range sentence of 14 years and four months.

"We feel murder-two is an appropriate resolution," Knodell said.

Gonzalez, who has no prior felony convictions, is cooperating with authorities as they continue investigating the shooting, Knodell said. The prosecutor also cited, as another reason for the reduced charge and plea deal, the difficulty of proving premeditation on Gonzalez's part.

Gonzalez must now testify against anyone else charged in the case.

Gonzalez is a citizen of Mexico and faces deportation following the completion of his sentence.

Moses Lake attorney William Plonske represented Gonzalez, describing his client as remorseful. Gonzalez worked at a golf course prior to the shooting, Plonske said, made a decent wage, then got mixed up with methamphetamine.

"(Gonzalez) understands the severity and he's ready to accept the consequences," Plonske told Sperline. "He understands he'll have to live with this for the rest of his life."

Three members of Corral's family spoke prior to sentencing, asking Sperline to ensure justice is served.

"Only a cold-blooded, calculating person could do something like this. A murderer, a first-degree murderer," said Sandra Graff, Corral's grandmother in Othello.

Corral, who was the father of one daughter, was shot outside a duplex in Cascade Valley. The Grant County coroner reported he died of multiple gunshot wounds to the torso.

Scotty R. Slenker, 20, of Moses Lake, was also shot at the duplex, in the 8000 block of Road 4.2-N.E. He survived.

Slenker told detectives he was operating as Gonzalez's accomplice when they barged into the duplex to confront Corral. A Grant County Sheriff's Office detective's report shows Gonzalez reported being robbed of personal property by Corral in August 2006.

Slenker claims he was shot deliberately by Gonzalez, the detective's report states. Authorities indicated Slenker was more likely hit as a result of "friendly fire."

Slenker's mother, Angela Slenker of Moses Lake, said in early February her son was released from the hospital Jan. 25. She complained he was arrested a few days after his release and taken to Airway Heights Corrections Center.

She said her son had appointments scheduled with doctors and was still on a feeding tube.

"I don't think (the arrest) was right with his current medical problem," she said. "Thank God (the police) don't have a family member going through something like this."

Patty Jensen, a spokeswoman for the Washington State Patrol, declined to comment at the time about the arrest.

Knodell at the time said he didn't believe the arrest was related to the investigation of Corral's murder.

Last week, a female acquaintance of Gonzalez's pleaded guilty to second-degree kidnapping of a teenage girl who was Corral's girlfriend, an abduction authorities say is directly linked to the double shooting.

Christina Lee Warren, 24, of Moses Lake, was charged with first-degree kidnapping, but pleaded guilty to the reduced charge as part of a plea deal. Part of the deal required her testimony against Gonzalez.

The kidnapping occurred a few hours prior to the shootings. The girl's abductors, Warren and Gonzalez, tried to use her to determine Corral's whereabouts.

Prosecutors recommended Warren receive a year of jail time. She is scheduled to be sentenced May 8.

Both Gonzalez and Warren provided lengthy and detailed accounts to detectives and prosecutors about events leading up to the shootings.

Prosecutors anticipate charging one, possibly two other individuals, not with murder, but with crimes arising from Corral's death.

A detective for the sheriff's office declined to comment Tuesday on their investigation.