Aguilar Aguilar's bail set at $1 million

EPHRATA - Bail was set at $1 million for a man accused of shooting a Yakima woman after she tried to end their relationship.

Prosecutors charged Jose A. Aguilar Aguilar, 35, of Desert Aire, with first-degree murder, second-degree assault, witness intimidation and alien in possession of a firearm.

Grant County Superior Court Judge John Antosz granted Prosecutor Angus Lee's request, setting bail at $1 million.

Grant County sheriff's deputies arrested Aguilar Aguilar Monday after nearly two weeks of searching for the man, according to court records. He is accused of taking Carmelita Lopez Santos into the area near the Buckshot Wildlife Access Area near Mattawa, where he shot and killed her.

Her body was discovered by a bird hunter about a day after she was reportedly shot. The hunter's dog followed a trail into the brush when the hunter noticed the body, according to court records.

After killing the woman, Aguilar Aguilar reportedly kept her purse and cellphone, according to the police report. Officers tracked the man back to Desert Aire after family members and friends placed a series of calls to Lopez Santos' phone, which Aguilar Aguilar reportedly answered. He allegedly told people he didn't know Lopez Santos and found the phone in a Walmart parking lot. He later allegedly said she left for Mexico.

Lopez Santos' brother identified the man as the same one who called his phone at all hours looking for Lopez Santos, after he let his sister borrow the phone, according to the police report.

An unknown man also called Lopez Santos' fiance saying he wanted to fight over Lopez Santos. He threatened to "shoot it out" at a Yakima gas station or meet under the bridge near the river, according to the police report.

A neighbor reportedly saw Lopez Santos leave with Aguilar Aguilar at separate times, according to the police report.

Officers tracked the calls and Aguilar Aguilar's Nissan Pathfinder to a home in Desert Aire, according to the police report. When officers contacted Aguilar Aguilar near a Mattawa laundromat, they discovered the Lopez Santos' cellphone in the vehicle.

When police questioned Aguilar Aguilar's roommates, one of them reportedly said Aguilar Aguilar confessed, showing him a newspaper article about the woman, and describing taking her out and shooting her, according to the police report. Later in the night, Aguilar Aguilar reportedly drove them to a remote area in Grant County and threw items into a small canal.

"Afterwards Aguilar stuck a gun into (his roommate's) stomach and stated, 'I didn't make a mistake telling you I killed her, did I?'" according to the police report.

Aguilar Aguilar initially denied the murder, but after questioning reportedly confessed to killing the woman because she wanted to break up with him, according to the police report. Investigators allegedly discovered a 9mm handgun in Aguilar Aguilar's bedroom, and cowboy boots and a purse, both with blood stains.