Multiple shooting cases moving through Grant Superior Court

EPHRATA — Multiple cases associated with shootings are winding their way through Grant County Superior Court, including the case of James Kelly, the suspect in the shooting at the Beyond Wonderland music festival at The Gorge Amphitheater in June 2023.  

All of the defendants in the cases below are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

The Gorge 

Court records indicate that Kelly’s defense attorney, David Bustamante, is reviewing the evidence in the case, and an omnibus hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.  

Kelly is alleged by investigators to have brought a weapon into the Gorge concert venue in George. Court records report that investigators found he’d taken psychedelic mushrooms that led to him going to his weapon and killing two women, injuring his now-former girlfriend and multiple other festival attendees.   

Investigators named Brandy Escamilla, 29, and Josilyn Ruiz, 26, both of Seattle, as the couple killed in the shooting. Also injured were Kelly’s former girlfriend, Lily Luksich of Mill Creek; Andrew Cuadra of Eugene, Ore.; and Lori Williams, a Crowd Management Services employee who responded to the area where the shooting occurred. 

Kelly remains in custody at the Grant County Jail without bond. He was an active duty soldier assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord at the time of the incident and it is unknown if additional military charges will be brought against him.

Cedillos murder 

The court is also considering the case of Juan Gastelum, a former Moses Lake resident who is charged with second-degree murder and rape associated with the death of Yanira Cedillos of Moses Lake in March of 2022.  

Gastelum and Cedillos had been involved in a romantic relationship, which had ended. However, Cedillos went missing the night of her birthday celebration in early March 2022. Moses Lake Police Department detectives had found a variety of evidence at Cedillos’ apartment, indicating she had likely been killed. Cell phone records were among the primary evidence in the case, and investigators claim the evidence points to Gastelum.  

“The last evidence we have that she was still alive was a few minutes after midnight, approximately seven minutes after they arrived at the apartment,” MLPD Cpt. Mike Williams said. 

Gastelum was arrested in Hermiston, Ore., about a week after Cedillos’ death. Cedillos’ remains were later found at the Walulla Game Department Reserve off State Route 12, according to court documents.  

A motion by the defense to dismiss the rape charge was submitted Sept. 30, and Gastelum has a court date set for Oct. 27 for an omnibus hearing. 

Gastelum has entered a plea of not guilty and is being held at the Grant County Jail in Ephrata. 

Hawk Fuel shooting 

Grant County Superior Court is also considering the case of the alleged murder of Daniel Alcala, wherein the suspect is 31-year-old Eriberto Mendoza. Alcala was killed in a reported disagreement at the Hawk Fuel station in Ephrata on July 20.  

Mendoza was arrested after an altercation at the fuel station led to a shooting wherein court documents indicate Alcala was shot and Mendoza’s brother, Juan Mendoza, was injured by a reportedly accidental shooting to his leg. The altercation had begun as a discussion, which court documents say escalated into a fist fight and the subsequent shooting.  

Court records indicate that Mendoza is pleading that he was acting in the defense of another individual at the time of the shooting. An omnibus hearing is scheduled for Nov. 18, a readiness hearing for Jan. 12, 2026, and a trial for Jan. 14, 2026. Those dates may, however, change as the court case evolves. 

Mendoza is being held without bail at the Grant County Jail on a charge of murder in the second degree.