Guilty plea upheld in 2016 Ritzville murder case

SPOKANE — The Washington Court of Appeals, Division 3, will not allow a Chicago man who brutally murdered his girlfriend in front of their young son on Interstate 90 near Ritzville over two years ago to withdraw his guilty plea.

Manuel Argomaniz-Camargo was found walking east on the north shoulder of westbound I-90, near Ritzville, holding his 3-year-old son in the early morning hours of March 1, 2016. Authorities took Argomaniz-Camargo into custody and searched the area, due to Argomaniz-Camargo having blood on his hands and being shirtless, despite temperatures hovering in the mid-30s.

Police located a blood trail along the north I-90 shoulder and followed the trail until they found the body of Ana Veronica Montelongo Garcia, 24, near the left rear tire of Argomaniz-Camargo’s vehicle. Police recovered a large amount of crystal methamphetamine at the scene and Argomaniz-Camargo confided that he, Garcia and their son left Chicago a few days before the murder.

Argomaniz-Camargo had a plan to sell the meth and use the money to purchase a home in Washington. He admitted to snorting meth and cocaine during the road trip to help him stay awake. He started to get paranoid and began believing that Garcia was a “witch” and she was controlling mechanical functions on the vehicle with her hands, feet and a chip in her mouth. As they were nearing Ritzville Argomaniz-Camargo pulled over, pushed Garcia out and told her to phone her mom. She re-entered the vehicle and Argomaniz-Camargo grabbed her by the hair and proceeded to stab her with a pocketknife and beat her to death with a hammer.

Argomaniz-Camargo had a plan to burn the vehicle, but the car wouldn’t ignite and he shoved a shirt into the gas tank with a screwdriver. He then stabbed Garcia a few more times with the screwdriver after she was already dead.

Argomaniz-Camargo was subsequently charged with first-degree murder, with two aggravating factors. During plea negotiations Argomaniz-Camargo refused to agree to a sentence over 15 years and negotiations teetered off. The defense prepared for trial and investigated possible defenses, but a psychologist did not find that Argomaniz-Camargo had a diminished mental capacity and ruled out a possible intoxication defense.

Argomaniz-Camargo let a plea bargain deadline pass and later agreed to the deal after the deadline passed. The state renewed the offer, which the court accepted and the case moved forward. Before sentencing Argomaniz-Camargo said he wanted to withdraw the plea, stating his attorneys confused him and did not thoroughly investigate his case.

His two attorneys then withdrew from the case and a new attorney was appointed to represent Argomaniz-Camargo. The new attorney argued Argomaniz-Camargo’s previous counsel coerced him into entering a guilty plea and the court should allow him to withdraw the plea. The motion was denied and Argomaniz-Camargo was sentenced to 357 months, a little under 30 years, in prison and he appealed.

“This appeal raises the sole issue of whether (Argomaniz-Camargo’s attorney) rendered ineffective assistance by his argument of the new trial motion. The appellate argument confuses effective representation with unrealistic overzealousness. Because he cannot show deficient performance, his argument fails,” wrote Judge Kevin Korsmo.

The judges found Argomaniz-Camargo’s claim of coercion by his attorney and an overall conspiracy against him could not be supported by evidence. Argomaniz-Camargo’s two attorneys who withdrew from the case said he had “unrealistic expectations” about serving none or little time for murder, even believing the charge could be dismissed.

“(One of the attorneys) used a hypothetical that asked his client whether, if someone had killed a member of his family, he thought it would be reasonable for the killer to get the charges dismissed. Mr. Argomaniz-Camargo said no,” Korsmo wrote.

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