On the evening of January 28, 2023, 19-year-old Wesley Jose Molinero Dominguez, a Hispanic male, arranged to meet someone near Puyallup, Washington, for what was supposed to be a marijuana sale. He and his girlfriend drove to the agreed-upon location in the 12600 block of 90th Avenue East, where the transaction was scheduled to take place after being coordinated through Instagram messages.
The situation quickly turned violent when two young men, dressed in black and wearing ski masks, approached their vehicle.
The masked individuals demanded that the couple hand over all of their belongings. In a moment of recognition, Molinero Dominguez identified one of the assailants, stating, "Joseph, you're not going to shoot me, you're my friend." Despite his plea, the individual he recognized as Joseph allegedly shot him in the face. His girlfriend, who was present during the terrifying ordeal, called 911 at approximately 6:47 p.m. to report that her boyfriend had been shot. When deputies arrived, they found Molinero Dominguez in his car with a grave injury. He died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. The Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office later confirmed his cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head and ruled it a homicide.
Investigators at the scene discovered a crucial piece of evidence: a cell phone left on the ground outside the driver's side of the victim's car. This phone was traced to one of the suspects and contained the Instagram communications that set up the fatal meeting. The investigation led to the arrests of 17-year-old Joseph Lizarraga-Ortiz and 18-year-old Antonio Adan Yescas in April 2023. Both were charged in Pierce County Superior Court for their involvement in the killing.
Court proceedings revealed that the incident was a planned robbery. While both suspects were armed, it was Lizarraga-Ortiz who fired the shot that killed Molinero Dominguez. Lizarraga-Ortiz, who knew the victim from their junior high school days, was sentenced to 20 years in state custody after pleading guilty to first-degree murder. Antonio Adan Yescas pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and first-degree attempted robbery. Acknowledging his role in the robbery that led to the death, Yescas was sentenced to nearly 13 years in state custody.
