05-05-2025
Second man sentenced for Pierce County fatal shooting of teen in set-up robbery
A 20-year-old man who admitted to recklessly causing the death of a teenager in a fatal shooting in South Hill in a set-up robbery during a marijuana transaction was sentenced Friday to nearly 13 years in state custody.
Antonio Adan Yescas pleaded guilty in November to first-degree manslaughter with a firearm-sentencing enhancement and first-degree attempted robbery for the Jan. 28, 2023 killing of 19-year-old Wesley Jose Molinero Dominguez.
Yescas is the second person to be sentenced for the homicide. Joseph M. Lizarraga-Ortiz was sentenced in January to 20 years in state custody after he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. Yescas was armed with a gun during the robbery, but it was Lizarraga-Ortiz who fired the fatal shot. Both defendants were 17 at the time.
Prosecutors originally charged Yescas with first-degree murder as well as attempted robbery. In a court filing asking the court to accept the amended charges, deputy prosecuting attorney Thomas Howe wrote that the change was highly negotiated.
Howe said it was an effort to balance four aspects of the case, including Yescas' age and mitigating information provided by his defense attorney, which was detailed in a 700-page packet not filed in the court record.
The resolution balanced the fact that although Yescas did not fire the fatal shot, by engaging in a robbery where both he and his codefendant were armed, Yescas bears responsibility for the victim's death, according to the court filing. Howe also said Yescas indicated very early in the case he wanted to resolve the matter short of trial and take responsibility for his actions.
According to charging documents, Wesley Molinero Dominguez and Yescas messaged each other on Instagram prior to the shooting, arranging for Yescas to buy $90 worth of marijuana from Molinero Dominguez.
Molinero Dominguez and his girlfriend arrived at the location, and two men in black clothing and ski masks — later identified as Lizarraga-Ortiz and Yescas — approached their vehicle and demanded everything they had, the girlfriend later told Sheriff's Office investigators.
When Lizarraga-Ortiz and Yescas approached, Molinero Dominguez reportedly said, 'Joseph, you're not going to shoot me. You're my friend,' according to court records. Lizarraga-Ortiz responded by shooting him.
The shooting occurred less than a half-mile from Rogers High School, which Molinero Dominguez attended.
The sentence Pierce County Superior Court Judge Philip Sorensen imposed was at the low end of the standard sentencing range, 155 to 185 months including enhancements, which was in line with prosecutors' recommendation.
Because Yescas was under 18 at the time, he will serve his sentence in juvenile rehabilitation in the custody of the Department of Children, Youth and Families.
Felony animal cruelty case against horse-drawn carriage business owner dismissed
A felony charge of animal cruelty was dismissed last month against the owner of a Pierce County business that provides horse-drawn carriages for weddings and other events
Tammy Lynn Sell, who owns Country Wagon Carriages, was charged with first-degree animal cruelty in Superior Court for the death of a rabbit, which allegedly had signs of starvation on her property near Eatonville. Prosecutors also accused her of second-degree animal cruelty, a gross misdemeanor, for allegedly neglecting a horse.
A veterinarian couldn't determine the rabbit's cause of death, according to Prosecuting Attorney's Office spokesperson Adam Faber. Because of that, Faber said, prosecutors had to drop the felony charge.
Prosecutors proceeded with the second-degree animal cruelty case, and on April 15, Sell entered a pretrial diversion agreement in District Court where she agreed to no criminal law violations.
The horse at issue, named Bell, was observed by an animal control officer in 2022 to have a pressure sore on her right hip and had more sores on her left leg. The officer later concluded that Sell was knowingly and intentionally failing to provide the horse with recommended veterinarian care.
Sell will have to complete a course on animal cruelty and will pay $4,466.88 in restitution, according to court records.
