Othello man pleads not guilty to manslaughter
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years AGO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | March 24, 2021 1:00 AM
RITZVILLE — An Othello man pleaded not guilty Monday in Adams County Superior Court to first-degree manslaughter in the death of his 4-year-old son Feb. 27.
Felipe Tapia-Perez, 27, is being held in the Adams County Jail on $50,000 bail.
An omnibus hearing, or reviewing of evidence, is scheduled for April 5. His trial is scheduled for April 27.
Tapia-Perez allegedly shot his son in the head. The boy died later that day.
Family and friends of the boy’s mother, Perla Arteaga-Ochoa, have started a GoFundMe account to help with funeral and medical expenses. As of Tuesday it had raised $5,585. People can donate at https://www.gofundme.com/f/2ao3fgdh6o?qid=831d6fc37d9f1fdaa1b8f9c5657c09b6.
Tapia-Perez had a gun he said he recently purchased in his car when he drove to Arteaga-Ochoa’s house Feb. 27 to pick up his three children, according to the statement of probable cause. The boy ran outside when he saw his father drive up, and was by the driver’s door.
Tapia-Perez said he was handling the weapon, which had been stolen, when it went off. The bullet broke the car window and struck the boy in the head.
Tapia-Perez told Othello Police officers he didn’t know the boy was standing beside the car. He also said he was unfamiliar with firearms, the probable cause statement said.
Othello police detective Jaime Mendoza said he consulted U.S. Border Patrol agents, who told him there was no record of Tapia-Perez legally entering the country. Tapia-Perez told police he came to the U.S as a 5-year-old and is not a U.S. citizen.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].
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