Carlos Vidal Guiterrez, right, stands with defense attorney Bob Schroeter in a Chehalis courtroom this afternoon.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – The three shots that fatally wounded 23-year-old Efren J. Triana outside a Centralia tavern were fired into his back, prosecutors alleged when they charged Carlos Vidal Guiterrez almost a quarter of a century ago.
Today, Guiterrez faced a judge in Lewis County Superior Court in Chehalis and a charge of second-degree murder.
Guiterrez, 54, was brought to Lewis County yesterday following his arrest by U.S. marshals two weeks ago in San Benito County in central California.
Carlos Vidal Guiterrez
Centralia police had been tracking him off and on since 1986 and a “cold case” detective recently located him, according to the Centralia Police Department.
Defense attorney Bob Schroeter, using a Spanish interpreter, told the judge Guiterrez has no assets and no income to hire a lawyer.
Judge Nelson Hunt appointed Centralia defense attorney David Arcuri to represent Guiterrez.
Hunt scheduled Guiterrez to return to court tomorrow afternoon, so bail can be set by another judge.
“I am recused from the case, as I was chief criminal deputy prosecutor when the case was charged,” Hunt said.
Then-elected Lewis County Prosecutor James Miller filed the charge in 1986.
Lewis County Deputy Prosecutor Will Halstead – one of three lawyers newly-elected Prosecutor Jonathan Meyer hired after he started in January – is handling the case today.
“The real part now is just finding some of the folks,” Halstead said after the brief hearing.
It was almost 25 years ago, at about 1 o’clock in the morning when Centralia police were called to a tavern called La Adalitas, at the 100 block of West Main Street, according to Centralia Officer John Panco. Triana, a Rochester resident, had been shot. It was Oct. 25, 1986.
Charging documents filed four days later describe how the suspect had attempted to pick a fight with other bar patrons. Nobody took him up on it until Triana said, ” … if he wished to fight, he, the victim, would fight with him outside the tavern,” charging documents state.
The documents go on to give the following account:
Once outside, the victim put his hands up as though to fight and a gunshot was heard. The victim grabbed his head, then turned away from the defendant.
The defendant fired three more rounds, after which the victim ran several feet and collapsed. The defendant ran from the area.
Police and Centralia Fire Department aid persons found Triana seriously wounded. Triana was taken to Centralia General Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
An autopsy the following day determined Triana suffered a grazing wound to his head from a bullet and three fatal shots to his body.
The 23-year-old was believed to have been unarmed.
Police discovered their suspect got a ride to the Yakima area, but didn’t find him there. He had worked often in Eastern Washington as a laborer.
On of the primary investigators was Sgt. Robert Berg, now the chief of police.
Police developed information their suspect would be leaving the state and trying to return to Mexico. He was a Mexican citizen, and as far as investigators could determine, not legally in the United States.
Charging documents say the suspect used several aliases. Those listed are: Roberto Vidal Guiterrez, Roberto Sepi Guiterrez, Carlos Kiros, Sepi Guiterrez and Carlos Guiterrez Moreno.
There is currently a hold on Guiterrez by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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Read “Breaking news: Suspect arrested in 1986 Centralia cold case murder” from Wednesday March 23, 2011, here
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter