On the morning of March 26, 2016, 27-year-old Karina Morales-Rodrigues, a Hispanic female, arrived for her shift at the Moneytree lending store in Yakima, Washington, a routine she had likely performed many times. Tragically, this day would be her last. As she and her co-worker, 30-year-old Martha Martinez, were opening the business at the corner of South First and East Walnut streets, they were confronted by a gunman.
The assailant, a former co-worker named Manuel Enrique Verduzco Jr., shot both women, ending their lives in a brazen act of violence that shook the local community. One of the women was found in the Moneytree parking lot near a car, while the other was discovered on East Walnut Street.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly led police to Verduzco, a 26-year-old from the nearby town of Selah. He was arrested later the same day and booked into the Yakima County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder. As the legal proceedings unfolded, a grim picture of the motive behind the killings began to emerge. Prosecutors argued that Verduzco, who had previously been employed at the same Moneytree location, was experiencing financial difficulties. His familiarity with the store's operations allegedly prompted him to target his former workplace in a desperate attempt to obtain money.
During the trial, the defense team presented an alternative narrative, claiming that Verduzco's actions were the result of schizophrenia and that he had not intended to rob the store. However, the prosecution's case, which highlighted his financial struggles, ultimately proved more persuasive to the jury. In April 2018, Manuel Enrique Verduzco Jr. was found guilty of two counts of first-degree aggravated murder. The following month, he received two life sentences without the possibility of parole, ensuring that he would spend the remainder of his life in prison for the cold-blooded murders of Karina Morales-Rodrigues and Martha Martinez.
