Othello shooting suspect enters Alford plea, sentencing set for Nov. 13

RITZVILLE — An Othello man is scheduled for sentencing Nov. 13 in connection with a 2022 shooting that left a Quincy girl dead and an Othello girl injured.

Justin Gonzalez-Luna, 18, entered an Alford plea to second-degree murder and second-degree assault Tuesday, according to a release from the Othello Police Department.

“An Alford plea allows him to maintain his innocence while acknowledging he would likely be convicted at trial,” the OPD release said.

The shooting occurred in October 2022. Officers arrived at the scene on Sylvan Drive to find a car had crashed into a house; the victim, a 16-year-old Quincy girl, was dead behind the wheel with a gunshot wound to the head, according to information released at the time of the arrest. A 16-year-old Othello girl was a passenger in the front seat and also had sustained a gunshot wound to the head; she survived. Three passengers in the back seat, two juveniles and one adult, were uninjured.

“After almost a year-long investigation, working with the Adams County prosecutors, the Othello Police Department is happy that justice has been served, and that the families of the victims can find closure,” the release said.