Othello boy charged in October murder of Quincy girl
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 12 months AGO
Othello Police officers have arrested a 17-year-old Othello boy in connection with an October incident that killed a 16-year-old Quincy girl.
File photo
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. | January 21, 2023 1:20 PM
OTHELLO — A 17-year-old Othello boy was arrested late Thursday on suspicion of second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault with a firearm and drive-by shooting in connection with the murder of 16-year-old Quincy girl in 2022.
The boy was arrested about 9:30 p.m. Thursday, according to a release from the Othello Police Department. His name was included in an affidavit filed with Adams County Superior Court, but the Columbia Basin Herald generally does not release the names of juveniles.
He was arrested in the area of Shady Lane and East Scootney Street, about a block from the murder scene at the intersection of Rose Drive and Sylvan Drive.
“(The suspect) surrendered peacefully at his residence after the Othello Police surrounded his house for approximately four to five hours,” according to the affidavit.
Othello police officers arrested Johann Feliciano-Lopez, 19, on Oct. 19 on suspicion of first-degree rendering criminal assistance in connection with the case.
The 17-year-old’s arrest followed the shooting at 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 6 in which the Quincy girl was killed. According to the affidavit, the victim was one of five people in the car, a Chevrolet SUV.
Officers arrived at the scene on Sylvan Drive to find the car had crashed into a house; the victim was dead behind the wheel with a gunshot wound to the head, the affidavit said. A 16-year-old Othello girl was a passenger in the front seat and also had sustained a gunshot wound to the head. Three passengers in the back seat, two juveniles and one adult, were uninjured.
An OPD release at the time of the shooting said the incident may have been gang-related, and the 16-year-old might have been following the shooter’s car. The affidavit cited witnesses that said the suspect was in a dispute with associates of the victim earlier in the week, and that the two groups encountered each other around the time and location of the shooting.
Following the shooting, the juvenile suspect and Feliciano-Lopez drove to the Yakima area and disposed of Feliciano-Lopez’s car, where OPD officers recovered it on Oct. 7, the affidavit said. Officers discovered the 17-year-old left the U.S. on Oct. 8 and returned about Jan. 16.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached at education@columbiabasinherald.com.
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