PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Three people plead guilty and were sentenced to prison for the July 2017 shooting of 17-year-old Jose Morales.
Cristian Martinez-Chavez shot and killed Morales after a fight on July 29. After the earlier fight, court documents said Martinez-Chavez, his brother and Isai Guzman-Ramirez and Obed Garcia-Antonio got a .22 caliber rifle from Guzman-Ramirez’s house and found Morales at SE 187th and SE Stark Street.
Court documents show that Morales was shot at least once in the right shoulder area. Investigators said he was shot as the suspects drove by.
Records show that immediately after the shooting, a Gresham police officer saw a car speeding southbound on SE Yamhill Street near SW 187th Ave. The car “blew” through a stop sign and turned onto SE Yamhill Street and came to a stop about 7 feet from the back bumper of the officer’s patrol car.
During the stop, the officer found the .22 caliber rifle in the car.
Cristian Martinez-Chavez, the shooter, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 16 years.
Isai Guzman-Ramirez, who got the gun, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 14 years.
Obed Garcia-Antonio, who was driving the car, pleaded guilty to one county of 2nd-degree manslaughter and was sentenced to 6 years and 3 months.
Senior Deputy District Attorney David Hannon read the following statement from Morales’ mother:
“No one understands how difficult this has been for me. …I have to be strong for my children and haven’t had the opportunity to grieve. …This whole process has been very painful and in fact, painful is too small of a word to describe the loss. …I was robbed of the opportunities to celebrate my son’s accomplishments: to know my son as an adult, as an uncle, a father and as a husband.”