WEST RICHLAND, Wash.-Notices of claim in the amount of $50 million have been presented on behalf of the estate of William Wiley paraeducator Amber Rodriguez, who was murdered on campus by her ex-husband Elias Huizar on April 22.
The notices were presented to the Richland School District, West Richland Police Department, the City of Yakima, the Yakima School District and the Yakima Police Department by the law office of Larson Griffee and Pickett in Yakima.
According to the notice of claim, “opportunities for intervention to protect Amber and her children were simply neglected by police and school officials in an uncomprehensable and unacceptable manner.”
The notices of claim are a prerequisite to a civil lawsuit being filed, according to attorney Bill Pickett of the law firm Larson Griffee Pickett, who filed the claim.
Huizar also killed Angelica Santos before fleeing to Oregon with his one-year-old son, sparking a manhunt before he ultimately took his own life after a car chase with law enforcement.
Huizar, a former Yakima PD officer and former substitute teacher, had a history of violence and should never have been allowed the access or opportunity to carry out the crimes, according to the notice of claim.
“Specifically, failing to protect Amber and her children from the well-known, life-threatening danger Huizar presented was unreasonable, and it resulted in a mother’s tragic death.”
Huizar was investigated for sexual misconduct while working as a school resource officer at Washington Middle School in Yakima in 2019. Claims were made that Huizar had a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old student (since identified as Angelica Santos).
The claim states that when the investigation was completed Huizar was supposed to receive an official reprimand, however, it was never included in his personnel file and he continued to work around minors.
From Dec. 2020 through Sept. 2021 Huizar went on unapproved leave from the Yakima PD, was diagnosed with PTSD and struggled with mental health issues before being cleared for duty.
Huizar reported for work on Sept. 15, but was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into his failure to report that he had moved to Richland and had an incident with West Richland PD in regards to Amber Rodriguez.
According to the notice of claim, Huizar and Rodriguez were in the midst of divorce proceedings when he showed up at William Wiley in March of 2021 and confronted her about a custody issue.
West Richland PD responded to the incident, managed to calm Huizar down and reported the incident to Yakima PD, Huizar’s employer at the time.
An investigation into whether Huizar’s relationship with Rodriguez began when she was a minor was initiated by Yakima PD Internal Affairs in Dec. of 2021, however, it concluded there was not enough evidence to determine if the relationship started before she was of legal age.
According to the notice of claim, the Yakima PD did not “collect their issued weapons, ammunition and tactical gear that had been assigned to Huizar during his time as a YPD officer,” when he resigned from the department in 2022.
After leaving the Yakima PD, Huizar was certified as a substitute teacher in the Richland School District.
According to the notice of claim, Huizar re-initiated contact with Angelica Santos, who was now 15-years-old and the couple moved in together and had a child when she was 16.
In Feb. 2024 the Tri-Cities Regional SWAT team responded to Huizar’s West Richland home after Santos told WRPD that Huizar gave her and a friend several drinks before trying to sexually assault her friend.
Huizar was arrested after a standoff and during a search of his home several weapons, including those issued by Yakima PD were recovered, according to the claim.
After his arrest on suspicion of rape of a minor the Richland School District removed Huizar from its substitute list and had him trespassed from all district property.
Despite the previous claims, investigations and arrest, Huizar went to Wiley Elementary on April 22, 2024 and waited for Rodriguez to leave the building after school.
As she walked toward her car Huizar shot and killed her in front of her 9-year-old son and other students and staff.
The notice of claim argues negligent hiring, supervision and retention, infliction of emotional distress, unlawful conduct and failure to protect from foreseeable harm by the involved organizations, school districts and police departments.
