On the evening of September 21, 2022, in Kennewick, Washington, a call to paramedics reported a man had stopped breathing in a home on West Fourth Avenue. First responders arrived to find 36-year-old Fernando Pulido, a Hispanic male, with a gunshot wound. Pulido was unconscious and was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His death was immediately investigated as a homicide.
The investigation into Pulido's death continued for weeks.
In early November 2022, two individuals were arrested by a U.S. Marshal Task Force in Pasco. Lonny J.C. Barton-Owens, 29, was taken into custody on suspicion of second-degree murder, while Rebecca R. Chavez, 31, was arrested for first-degree rendering criminal assistance. Barton-Owens was booked into the Benton County jail with bail set at $1 million.
Court documents and witness testimony later revealed a more complex story. On the night of the shooting, Pulido had reportedly gone to the house and began to violently assault another man. Witnesses claimed that Barton-Owens shot Pulido in an attempt to defend the man being attacked. This account led prosecutors to re-evaluate the case. After more than a year, with several witnesses coming forward to state that Barton-Owens's actions were justified, the second-degree murder charge against him was dropped.
While Barton-Owens was cleared of the murder charge on the grounds of self-defense, his legal troubles were not over. Due to a history of felony convictions, he was prohibited from possessing a firearm. He was subsequently sentenced to the maximum term of a year and four months for illegally possessing the gun used in the shooting. Having already served more than that time while awaiting trial, he was released from jail. During the emotional sentencing hearing, Pulido's family expressed their grief, stating that while he wasn't perfect, he did not deserve to die and that they felt justice had not been served for their loved one.
