2003 Mattawa shooting suspect sentenced

EPHRATA — A man was sentenced to more than seven years in prison for manslaughter in connection with a shooting in Mattawa over a decade ago that left a 40-year-old man dead.

Jose Trujillo, 51, city of residence not listed, pleaded guilty in Grant County Superior Court to first-degree manslaughter in connection with the death of 40-year-old Jesus Ayala in December 2003. Following a joint recommendation between Deputy Prosecutor Ed Owens and defense attorney David Kraft, Grant County Superior Court Judge John Antosz sentenced Trujillo to 7.5 years in prison. The judge granted Trujillo credit for slightly more than five years served since February 2012.

On Dec. 24, 2013 deputies with the Grant County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a homicide in the 21400 block of Road 26 Southwest in rural Mattawa. Deputies found Ayala at the scene, who had died from a gunshot wound to the chest, according to court documents.

Several witnesses of the events leading up to Ayala’s death gave similar statements about Trujillo and Ayala getting into a verbal argument for an unknown reason. One witness claimed Trujillo was cooking outside on a barbecue and Ayala approached him and said something to him. The witness said he was alerted when the barbecue fell over so he went to the door and saw Trujillo and Ayala fighting outside.

“He saw Jose and the dead guy (Ayala) fighting and then he heard a gunshot. He said they kept fighting and then he heard another gunshot and that’s when the guy (Ayala) just laid there and Jose took off running,” wrote a detective. “(The witness) didn’t know what they were fighting about. They were just cussing at each other.”

Other witnesses confirmed that Trujillo and Ayala had gotten into a verbal argument, but none of the witnesses were able to pinpoint exactly what the two men were fighting about. One witness stated Ayala showed up at the house after Trujillo and it sounded as if the two “already had problems.” Another man stated he had never seen Trujillo in possession of a gun in the United States, “but in Mexico he is always carrying one,” according to court documents.

A warrant was issued for Trujillo’s arrest in 2004 for second-degree murder and he was able to evade police capture for a number of years. He was found and taken into police custody a couple of years ago.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.