No death penalty for Mattawa murders

EPHRATA — Grant County Prosecutor Angus Lee declined to pursue the death penalty in the case against J. Guadalupe Martinez-Lopez, 24, for three homicides near Mattawa.

Martinez-Lopez now faces one count of aggravated murder, a charge encompassing multiple victims, according to Lee.

The original charges of three counts of first degree murder and one count of attempted first degree murder remain as options for a jury.

The decision to elevate the charge to aggravated murder came after he reviewed the case, Lee said.

The two punishment options for aggravated murder are the death penalty and life in prison without parole.

 Lee explained he chose not to pursue the death penalty because the guidelines for the sentence require a lack of “mitigating factors.”

“The jury has to believe there’s nothing that mitigates, or makes what he did less bad. The fact that what he did was in revenge. It does create some level of mitigation. Justice is certainly going to be served in this case … We’re going to pursue this as aggressively as possible,” the prosecutor said.

Lee said the victim’s families have not requested the death penalty, adding they have not contacted his office at all.

“It’s also important to note that all four of the victims are citizens of Mexico, a country that does not sanction capital punishment,” he said.

Martinez-Lopez pleaded not guilty to the new charge in Grant County Superior Court Tuesday.

He reportedly told police he murdered the three men in Mattawa in revenge for a rape of a woman in the past, according to a Grant County Sheriff’s report. The allegation of rape has not been confirmed in court documents.

He allegedly contacted one of the victims on the phone, saying he was bored and went the man’s house.

Witnesses reported he left with one of the victims to go to the store. During the trip, Martinez-Lopez allegedly shot the victim, leaving the man in the road after the he tried to escape, according to the police report. He allegedly went back to the house and opened fire on the people sitting in the living room, killing two more people. A bullet reportedly struck another man’s belt buckle.