YAKIMA, Wash.-A Granger man who pleaded guilty to Second-Degree Murder and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Indian Country will spend the next 30 years in jail after being sentenced on June 11.
Jaime Herrera, 29, a known Sureno gang member, who is not affiliated with the Yakama Nation, pleaded guilty to a shooting in Toppenish on July 19, 2017 that killed one person and injured another.
According to court documents, Herrera was driving when he pulled up alongside two men who were walking and accused them of betraying the Sureno gang and shot them with a rifle.
The victim who died was an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation. The other victim survived the shooting.
“While even the lengthy sentence in this case cannot substitute for the tragic loss of life, today’s sentence demonstrates that those who victimize members of our community – and in particular persons who enter Tribal communities to commit violence– will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref.
While the murder investigation was ongoing Herrera committed another, unrelated murder in the Yakima Valley by arranging an ambush and shooting and killing another person.
Herrera was arrested shortly after the second murder, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Herrera’s two sentences, 30 years for one murder and 20 for the other will be served consecutively, which means he will spend a total of 50 years in prison.
