In the early morning hours of July 23, 2025, the life of 23-year-old Lupita Ponce-Penaloza, a Hispanic mother from Pasco, Washington, was tragically cut short. Police were called to a residence on Marie Street at approximately 2:30 a.m. following reports of a shooting. Inside a detached garage that had been converted into an apartment, they discovered Ponce-Penaloza, who had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into her death quickly
identified 30-year-old Jonathon Villegas as a primary suspect. Evidence suggested that Ponce-Penaloza had gone to the apartment to meet Villegas, whom she knew by the nickname "Trucha". In text messages to a friend just before the fatal encounter, she expressed a sense of unease, questioning whether Villegas was setting her up and asking her friend to be ready to call 911. Inside the apartment, an argument reportedly broke out between Ponce-Penaloza, Villegas, and another man, 30-year-old Jose Sanchez. The dispute was allegedly over a gun that Ponce-Penaloza was accused of stealing from Sanchez.
According to witness statements, the argument escalated, and Villegas is said to have retrieved a handgun from beneath a coffee table and shot Ponce-Penaloza. One witness claimed that Villegas then opened the door for Sanchez, who also fired at the victim. This account was supported by the discovery of two different calibers of shell casings at the scene by investigators from the Washington State Patrol crime lab.
In the days following the shooting, a manhunt for the suspects was launched. Jonathon Villegas was apprehended in Pendleton, Oregon, about 65 miles south of Pasco, and was subsequently extradited to Washington to face charges of second-degree murder. The second suspect, Jose Sanchez, was later arrested in Sunnyside, Washington, with the assistance of the FBI and U.S. Marshals. He has also been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of Lupita Ponce-Penaloza. Both men are being held on $2 million bail.
