Guadalupe Solis-Diaz Jr., now 27, stands before a judge again in 10 year old case
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – For the third time, a judge will be asked to decide on a sentence for a former Centralia High School student who was convicted here in a drive-by shooting a decade ago.
Guadalupe Solis-Diaz Jr. was tried and sentenced as an adult for crimes committed as a juvenile. He is serving a nearly 93 year sentence imposed by Lewis County Superior Court Judge Nelson Hunt.
The Washington State Court of Appeals and even the Washington State Supreme Court have weighed in on his case.
Solis-Diaz went before a judge today in Lewis County Superior Court, where a date was chosen for a new sentencing hearing.
It was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on June 15.
His appointed defense attorney Erik Kupka said there is “absolutely” a chance his client will be given a shorter sentence.
Solis-Diaz was 16 years old when gunfire was sprayed along the east side of South Tower Avenue in downtown Centralia in the summer of 2007, missing six bar patrons. Witnesses testified it was gang-related. Solis-Diaz maintained he was innocent but was convicted by a jury.
He was sentenced to 1,111 months in prison, based on multiple offenses including one count of first-degree assault committed with a firearm for each bullet that was fired. The six assault counts were ordered to be served consecutively and each carried a mandatory extra five years because they were committed with a firearm.
In 2012, he won an appeal and the local court was ordered to conduct a new hearing, referencing matters it believed should have been handled more thoroughly, given the defendant was a juvenile.
Judge Hunt was asked to consider an exceptional sentence downward, but the judge maintained several reasons why he should not do that. He sentenced him a second time, imposing the same sentence.
In 2016, a different three-member panel of the appeals court vacated the second sentence and ordered Hunt to conduct a meaningful inquiry before imposing a new sentence. In January of last year, the Washington State Supreme Court disqualified Hunt from presiding over the new hearing. Hunt had retired a few days before the ruling.
Kupka said Lewis County Superior Court Judge Andrew Toynbee will preside over the coming re-sentencing.
Kupka is joined in representing Solis-Diaz by Kimberly Ambrose, a senior law lecturer at the University of Washington School of Law. She has been involved in the case since 2011.
Lewis County Senior Deputy Prosecutor Sara Beigh said Lewis County Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer is handling the case. Meyer was not present for today’s brief hearing.
More than a dozen family members and supporters of Solis-Diaz, including six children, attended the hearing today. The Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office’s victim advocate wasn’t sure if any of the victims were in the courtroom.
Solis-Diaz , now 27, was transported from the state Department of Corrections to the Lewis County Jail last Friday.
Kupka said he doesn’t know how long the June hearing will take.
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For background, read “State supreme court questions Judge Hunt’s amenability to considering mitigating evidence in drive-by case” from Friday January 13, 2017, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter
And thus marks the end of the career of one of the most corrupt and scheming judges in the history of Lewis County injustice. Good riddance Nelson Hunt. Your entire career was like a child thumbing his nose at the justice system.
He has been incarcerated since he was 16, yet he has 6 children…yikes!!!
The cause of death in the Jasper case was not debated. The cause was ruled abuse/neglect and the manner was homicide.
Your wack at the piñata comment, makes it aooear to me that you just might be a redneck. A racist redneck that is.
Different judges and the wings case he also had fatal Mrsa and intent just isn’t there cause of death is debated. Where as a drive by is different.
Weight of a ton,
EXACTLY!!!
Lewis county needs to start giving the max on all cases!
As an adult, brutally and deliberately torture a 3 year old to death and get 34 years..do something incredibly stupid as a juvenile, but kill no one, and get over 90 years??
So if he were to have been sentenced to concurrent sentences he will be out in 1-2 years at a minimum of 80% of his original sentence with good behavior? Who here thinks he will fly straight? I doubt it. Just giving this guy another wack at the piñata so to speak. This time he may kill. Anyone remember the murderer Christine gregorie pardoned who ended up killing again? We all know this is gang related and gangs are a way of life for many Hispanics. Will be saying told you so when this happens again,… affirmative action bleeding heart liberals from u dub get a feel good kick out of helping minority’s while putting the public at risk. Go donate your time to boys and girls club to stop the next generation from turning out like this tatted gangster with no hope. This is a lost cause. What we are saying is we will go soft if you do a drive by. America is your welcome mat. We have 17 year olds stabbing, pulling guns, beating people with baseball bats, pistol whipping people in Lewis County in the last year sadly most of these incidents were done by latinos. This is sending the wrong message. Please make and example out of this youth so that others my choose a different path!!