19-year-old shot to death in his car was killed by backseat robber, say Kennewick police
The Tri-Cities 19-year-old found dead in his car last weekend was shot from the backseat during an apparent robbery, police say.
Investigators believe the 14-year-old suspect may have intended to rob Julian Chavez of Kennewick under the pretense of buying some vape pens.
New court documents shed more light on Chavez’s death last Saturday. He was found shot to death in the driver’s seat of his car, which had crashed into a parked car on the 1100 block of West Fifth Avenue in Kennewick at 9:15 p.m. Oct. 29.
Possible robbery
Investigators say the 14-year-old arrested in his murder appeared to have set Chavez up to be robbed, luring him to meet him as a potential buyer for vaping cartridges.
Witnesses, who reported Chavez appeared to have been shot several times in the chest, told investigators they saw a male running east wearing a beanie and possibly holding a gun.
Investigators say Chavez was shot three times from the backseat of his car. They also found bullet casings and an unspent bullet in the car.
A warrant was issued to search Chavez’s cellphone, which led investigators to believe he was in the process of selling someone flavored vape cartridges when he was killed.
Chavez had been messaging someone with the name AK_Lokote13 on Instagram about the vapes, according to the documents.
When investigators obtained a warrant for that account they identified the Kennewick teen, who is being held at the juvenile detention center in Kennewick.
Five days before the shooting, investigators say the teen suspect had messaged someone telling them “let’s hit a lick on some plugs,” which investigators said means they were going to rob someone.
Video surveillance shows someone else was walking with the teen to Chavez’s car, but turned off and headed a different direction. That person has yet to be identified.
Soon after, muzzle flashes can be seen inside the car and then it crashes into a parked car. After the crash, someone is seen running from the rear driver’s side seat.
Messages recovered from Chavez’s phone show he had talked about meeting up with someone he didn’t know to sell them the vapes. Court documents say other messages between Chavez and the suspect discuss selling the vape pens, an ounce of marijuana and rolling papers. Investigators said no vape cartridges or marijuana was found in the car.
The documents do not detail what Chavez might have intended to sell, only that vapes were agreed on.
Messages between the suspect and his sister show that a few hours after the shooting, she messaged him worried he and his friends may have done something. Another message shows someone telling the suspect to deactivate his account.
A similar robbery incident resulted in the death of a 17-year-old in September.
In that instance, investigators said Ricardo Rivera was dropping off $25 worth of marijuana oil when a group of teens shot and killed him on the 2100 block of Rhode Island Court in Kennewick.
Suspect arrested
The teen was arrested Wednesday at a home on the 1100 block of West Fifth Avenue.
He is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder. His bail is set at $1 million.
The teen is expected back in court next week. Prosecutors have until 5 p.m. Monday to file charges.
If he’s charged, it is unclear if prosecutors will file to try the teen as an adult.
If so, he will have what is known as a decline hearing. Under Washington state law, juveniles can face adult criminal prosecution if they are 15 or older and have committed a serious crime or 14 or younger charged with first- or second-degree murder.
A judge would hold a discretionary decline hearing to determine whether to transfer the case to adult court.
He is the second young teen arrested on suspicion of murder in Benton County this week.
On Thursday, Layshawne Bethea, 13, was arrested on a warrant for aggravated first-degree murder in the ambush shooting of Jatzivy Sarabia. He is the third teen arrested related to the killing of the recent Hanford High School grad.
