Court cases in March 2025 shooting death of Moses Lake teen moving forward
EPHRATA — Jose D. Beltran Rodriguez, 21, of Moses Lake, and Matthew Gabriel Valdez, 19, also of Moses Lake, remain in custody at the Grant County jail after being arrested in connection with a March 21, 2025, drive-by shooting in Moses Lake.
According to court documents and jail records, Beltran Rodriguez is being held on $1 million bond and faces one count of Murder in the First Degree, five counts of Assault in the First Degree, one count of Drive-By Shooting and one count of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.
Valdez faces similar charges and has had additional charges filed against him after an October 2025 incident at the Grant County Jail while being held there, according to court documents. For the shooting incident, he faces a charge of Murder in the First Degree, one count of Drive-By Shooting, one count of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm in the First Degree and five counts of Assault in the First Degree with a Deadly Weapon.
A third suspect, a minor from Mattawa, was also arrested in the case but is not identified due to his age.
Those charges came about after a shooting at about 9:15 p.m. the evening of March 21, 2025. A 17-year-old male, a 17-year-old female, a 12-year-old boy and Crystal Santoyo, 27, of Moses Lake, all received treatment at Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake and were released after care. A 14-year-old victim, Mario Santoyo, was killed in the incident. He was a student at Frontier Middle School in Moses Lake. The shooting happened in the 500 block of Loop Drive in Moses Lake.
Santoyo is engaged to Moses Lake Police Department Detective Juan Serrato.
The Moses Lake School District had additional counselors, security and safety personnel, MLPD officers, New Hope and support staff on hand to help students address the grief of losing Mario.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the student’s family, friends, and all those impacted by this tragedy. Losing a young member of our community is devastating. During this difficult time, we are committed to surrounding our students and staff with the support and care they need," MLSD Superintendent Carol Lewis said at the time.
The three suspects fled the scene and nearly two dozen law enforcement agencies across the Northwest aided in the resulting manhunt.
The minor suspect was found in Richland after being dropped off there to obtain treatment for a gunshot wound sustained in the incident. At the time, investigators believed the wound had been an accident with either the minor or one of his accomplices accidentally shooting him.
Valdez was eventually found in Beaverton, Ore., with the assistance of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Valdez has entered a plea of not guilty in the case. His first hearing was held April 4, 2025, after he had been remanded to the custody of the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. His bail was set at that time. An omnibus hearing is scheduled for March 24; a readiness hearing for May 18; and Valdez’s trial is set to begin May 20.
However, since Valdez’s arrest, he has subsequently been charged with Participating in a Prison Riot after a fight on Oct. 3, 2025. According to court documents, he had been accessible to another inmate, Ayden Doak, when the pair and a third inmate got into an altercation. The Grant County Prosecutor’s Office decided to press charges. One corrections deputy was injured in the incident. The associated case is scheduled similarly to the one associated with the drive-by shooting incident.
GCSO Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman said jail staff work to keep those from rival gangs separated from one another within the jail. According to court documents, Doak told deputies he was a rival of Valdez’s during the interviews after the incident at the jail.
“There are efforts made to segregate people who corrections deputies believe are going to encounter conflicts or cause a conflict,” Foreman said.
Generally, co-defendants in the case are kept separated to prevent collusion in cases as well, he added.
Beltran Rodriguez eventually turned himself in to police in Redding, Calif. He was subsequently questioned by investigators and transferred into the custody of the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. He has also pleaded not guilty in the case.
Law enforcement believes Beltran Rodriguez and Valdez are both members of the Norteños, a transnational criminal organization with ties to violent crime.
Should they be convicted, both face the possibility of life in prison. The state of Washington does not have a death penalty.
Investigating agencies:
The agencies below assisted in the investigation of the shooting.
MLPD, Washington State Police Crime Lab, U.S. Marshals Service, Grant County Sheriff’s Office, USMS Aviation, USMS Domestic Investigations Branch, USMS District of Oregon, USMS Eastern District of California, USMS Incident Management Team, USMS Northern District of California, USMS Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Taks Force/Organized Crime and Gangs Unit, USMS PSWRTF, USMS Special Operations Group, USMS TOG, USMS TOG Rocky Mountain, Members from USMS Regional Fugitive Task Forces, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Washington, Stockton Police Department, California, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, Washington, U.S. Border Patrol, FBI, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon, Washington State Department of Corrections, Washington State Patrol, Yakima PD, Yakima PD, Yakima County Sheriff’s Office, MACC 911.
