Hermiston man sentenced in 2022 murder of Moses Lake woman
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 month, 3 weeks AGO
Juan Gastelum was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison for the murder of Yenia Cedillos in 2022.
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. | May 2, 2026 2:43 PM
EPHRATA — A Hermiston, Ore., man has been sentenced to 20 years to life in prison following his guilty plea in the March 2022 murder of a Moses Lake woman.
Juan Gastelum Jr., 32, was sentenced April 28 in the killing of Yania Cedillos, according to Grant County Superior Court documents. Gastelum pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with sexual motivation March 3.
Cedillos disappeared in March 2022 while celebrating her birthday with friends. Her family reported her missing when she failed to show up for work.
The standard sentencing for second-degree murder range is a minimum of 10 to 19 years, but the finding of sexual motivation raised the minimum range to 12 to 20 years. The maximum sentence in either case is life in prison.
Cedillos and Gastelum had ended a romantic relationship prior to her murder, but Gastelum was communicating with her the night of her birthday, according to court documents and statements from investigators. They had reportedly gone to her apartment together after she left the party.
Moses Lake Police Department detectives discovered evidence in her apartment indicating she likely had been killed, court documents said. Evidence from Gastelum’s cell phone was a critical element in the investigation, according to court documents.
He was arrested in Hermiston about a week after Cedillos was reported missing. According to court documents, her body was later found at the Wallula Game Department Reserve about 90 miles south of Moses Lake.
A number of no-contact orders were issued as well, prohibiting Gastelum from contacting members of Cedillos’ family.
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