Opening statements heard in Solis case

Trial for Moses Lake man under way

EPHRATA - The jury heard opening statements from the prosecution and defense in the trial of Miguel Solis Jr. of Moses Lake.

Solis, 24, is accused of attempted murder in the first degree, kidnapping in the first degree and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Solis, along with his brother Jose Solis, 20, of Moses Lake, allegedly shot Raul Vasquez, also known as Hugo Fuentes Astadillo, in the neck and shoulder. The crime allegedly occurred at the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge, about 20 miles south of Moses Lake.

Grant County Deputy Prosecutor Steve Scott said around 6:30 a.m. Vasquez knocked on the door of Rick Poetter, the manager of the refuge.

"He'll tell you on Jan. 16, that's a Wednesday, he was getting ready to go to a meeting he had to go to and he went outside and started his vehicle to warm it up," Scott said. "He went back into the bunk house, and he heard a knock on the door. He observed a man … holding his neck. The man indicated he had been shot. (Poetter) could see what appeared to be a bullet wound in his neck."

Scott said Poetter would tell the jury Vasquez wasn't wearing a jacket or shoes. When Poetter took Vasquez to the hospital, they found a bullet lodged in the victim's neck.

Vasquez was then taken to Deaconess Hospital in Spokane and then to Samaritan Hospital in Spokane, Scott said. The reported victim initially identified himself as Astadillo. At the time, Vasquez had a warrant for his arrest.

Vasquez allegedly told police a man called "Spiderman," his brother Jose and a man named George picked him up in Pasco, Wash., Scott said. Miguel Solis Jr.'s girlfriend Susie was allegedly driving the car toward Othello and then onto the refuge.

"You can see there's a number of individuals in this case who don't use their real names," Scott said. "The detectives of course needed to try and identify these people. They also asked (Vasquez) for a description of the individuals. The victim also (allegedly) indicated one of these people had a spider on his neck."

"Spiderman" allegedly told Vasquez to get out of the car, Scott said. He then reportedly accused Vasquez of being a "snitch" and fired at him with a .38 caliber revolver. "Spiderman" was allegedly later identified as Miguel Solis Jr. through the tattoo on his neck. After that, Jose, who was reportedly identified as Jose Solis, reportedly fired at him with a .22 caliber Derringer. "He'll tell you that in this remote area, that he was somehow able to start running after he was being shot at," Scott said. "He'll tell you that he was shot twice but shot at numerous times."

He was reportedly able to get away from Miguel Solis Jr. and Jose Solis, Scott said. During that time, he lost his shoes.

Vasquez allegedly identified the brothers from photo montages put together by the Grant County Sheriff's Office, Scott said. Once they had identification, police went to the last known address of Miguel Solis Jr.

Once police searched the residence, they reportedly found a .22 Derringer pistol inside of a speaker, spent casings for .38 caliber rounds, a spent casing for the .22 Derringer pistol and a .38 caliber revolver during a second search of the Craig Street residence.

Scott said the driver who was later identified as Susie Efigenio and the other passenger identified as Ricardo Benevidez would also testify.

Mike Haas, Miguel Solis Jr.'s attorney, said the prosecutor's case rests on three people: Vasquez, Efigenio and Benevidez.

"The key thing in this case is those three witnesses," he said. "Listening to what they say is key. Listening to what they say and whether it makes sense."

Haas said Vasquez allegedly had used cocaine and marijuana prior to the incident.

"Mr. Hugo Fuentes Astadillo or Raul has given a multitude of stories to a multitude of people," he said. "At the time of this incident he had been convicted of a crime (related to) dishonesty."

Efigenio had a chance to go through the police reports with her attorney, Haas said. Prior to the time she gave her statement, she was incarcerated, pregnant and reportedly being attacked.

"Benevidez will have about 15 to 20 reasons to deflect the attention away from himself," Haas said. "Those 15 to 20 reasons being 2008 to 2028 in prison."

Haas said Miguel Solis Jr. wouldn't testify during the trial.

"Who you're not going to hear from is my client," Haas said. "He's already told you his position. He told Detective (Ryan) Rectenwald, 'He didn't do it. He didn't have a beef with anybody.'"

If convicted of attempted murder and kidnapping, Miguel Solis Jr. could face a maximum of life in prison. The charge of unlawful possession of a firearm carries a maximum penalty of 10 years.