Solis brothers sentenced for attempted murder of 'snitch'

EPHRATA — Two Moses Lake brothers were sentenced on Tuesday in the attempted murder of a man they accused of being a snitch.

Miguel Solis Jr., 25, was sentenced by Grant County Superior Court Judge John Antosz to 30 years in prison. He was convicted of attempted murder in the first degree, unlawful imprisonment and unlawful possession of a firearm in the first degree in October.

Jose Solis, 21, was sentenced by Grant County Superior Court Judge Ken Jorgensen to about seven-and-a-half years in prison. He pleaded guilty to attempted murder in the second degree on Dec. 9.

The Solis brothers brought Raul Vasquez from Pasco, Wash., to the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, about 20 miles south of Moses Lake, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s report. When they arrived, Miguel Solis Jr. ordered him to get out of the car.

Once they were outside, Miguel Solis Jr. called Vasquez a snitch and shot at him with a .38 caliber revolver, according to prosecutors. Jose Solis shot at him with a .22 caliber revolver. Vasquez was shot in the neck and the shoulder.

The victim started running after he was shot, according to prosecutors. He hid in some bushes and broke through the ice and fell into a pool of water before escaping the brothers. He knocked on the refuge manager’s door to get a ride to the hospital.

Police found the Derringer pistol in a speaker during a search of Miguel Solis Jr.’s last known address, according to Grant County Superior court records. They also found spent casings for .38 caliber rounds and a spent casing for the .22 Derringer pistol. They found the .38 caliber revolver during a second search of the residence.