Othello shooter sentenced

OTHELLO – A local man has been sentenced to nearly 13 years in prison for killing a girl and shooting another in the head.

Justin Yair Gonzalez-Luna, 18, of Othello, was sentenced Jan. 8 in Adams County Superior Court to 155 months in prison for second-degree murder and second-degree assault, records show. He entered an Alford plea in the case Sept. 26.

An Alford please allows a defendant to admit in court they are likely to be found guilty, but they do not have to admit guilt.

Gonzalez-Luna shot and killed a 16-year-old Othello girl and injured another Oct. 6, 2022, when he fired eight rounds into a vehicle at the intersection of Sylvan and Rose Drive, records show.

Three boys in the vehicle were not injured, records show, noting Gonzalez-Luna fled to Mexico following the shooting.

He was arrested in January 2023 when he returned and was found was hiding in the attic of a local house.