Teen enters Alford plea in slaying

RITZVILLE – An Othello teenager will be sentenced Nov. 13 after entering an Alford please in the Oct. 6, 2022, shooting death of a Quincy girl.

Justin Yair Gonzalez-Luna, 18, of Othello, entered an Alford plea to charges of second-degree murder and second-degree assault on Tuesday, Sept. 26.

The Alford plea means a defendant concedes he will likely be found guilty during a trial, but does not admit actual guilt.

Gonzalez-Luna is accused of shooting to death a 16-year-old Quincy driver and shooting and injuring her 16-year-old passenger in vehicle on Sylvan Drive, records show.

Both girls had been shot in the head, records show.

Three other passengers in the vehicle were not injured.