– Man pleads guilty in fatal accident involving a woman’s death
– Head-on collision on New Year’s 2021 results in the death of a man.
Accident – Death – Obituary News : Luberto Fernandez-Rodriguez, a 36-year-old resident of Wapato, has pleaded guilty to lesser charges in two homicides that occurred on New Year’s Day in 2021. The defendant admitted his guilt on Monday, pleading guilty to first-degree murder-domestic violence, vehicular homicide, and vehicular assault. These charges are related to the deaths of the mother of his child and a man who Fernandez-Rodriguez intentionally collided with on U.S. Highway 97, resulting in injuries to the man’s passenger.
As part of the plea agreement, the attorneys involved in the case will recommend a 37-year prison sentence for Fernandez-Rodriguez. The sentencing is scheduled to take place on February 28th.
The guilty plea came as attorneys were in the process of selecting a jury for a three-week trial. Initially, Fernandez-Rodriguez faced charges of aggravated first-degree murder in the death of Rocia Ramos-Martinez, as well as first-degree murder in the death of Alfred Anaya. Additionally, he was charged with two counts of first-degree kidnapping and reckless vehicular assault.
If convicted on the aggravated murder charge, Fernandez-Rodriguez would have faced a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole. While the agreed-upon sentence does not satisfy the full extent of justice, Yakima County Prosecuting Attorney Joe Brusic believes it guarantees a conviction and prison time for the defendant. Plea agreements often require defendants to waive their rights to appeal, further solidifying the outcome.
According to Brusic, the two homicides deeply affected the community, leaving no room to overlook the severity of the crimes committed. He acknowledged that there were evidentiary risks to consider, but believed that the state was able to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt. Fernandez-Rodriguez and his attorney also had to weigh the risks of facing the “ultimate sentence” in Washington state.
The incident involving Fernandez-Rodriguez began on January 1st, 2021, when Yakima police received a call about a woman being attacked in front of the Yakima YWCA. The assailant, later identified as Fernandez-Rodriguez, drove up in a pickup truck and broke the window of Ramos-Martinez’s car. He then fled the scene with Ramos-Martinez and their child, heading towards the former Astria Regional Medical Center.
A security guard at the Astria site witnessed the attack and called 911. The guard reported that Fernandez-Rodriguez stomped on Ramos-Martinez’s head, took the child from the car, and returned with the pickup truck to run over the injured woman multiple times. Following the incident, Fernandez-Rodriguez left the scene.
Ramos-Martinez, who had previously sought a protective order against Fernandez-Rodriguez, was found in the street with head injuries and wounds on her hands consistent with being slashed by a box cutter knife. She was initially taken to Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital and later transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where she succumbed to multiple blunt-force injuries three days later. She was 30 years old at the time of her death.
Subsequently, Fernandez-Rodriguez’s family in Wapato contacted the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office to inform them that they had custody of the child. They revealed that Fernandez-Rodriguez had come to their house and confessed to killing someone before leaving, issuing threats of self-harm.
In another tragic turn of events, a car crash occurred at around 4:45 p.m. on January 1st, 2021. Washington State Patrol officers received reports of a pickup truck traveling south in the northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 97 in Wapato without headlights. Two minutes later, troopers received reports of a head-on collision near Wapato High School.
The crash resulted in the death of Alfred Anaya, a 67-year-old individual, and caused serious injuries to his passenger, Esperanza Anaya, aged 65. Alfred Anaya’s family described him as a dedicated husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, and co-worker in his obituary. He had worked for Del Monte for 25 years and had played a significant role in setting up the welding program at Perry Tech.
Fernandez-Rodriguez sustained injuries in the crash and was taken to Memorial Hospital before being transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
In conclusion, Luberto Fernandez-Rodriguez has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder-domestic violence, vehicular homicide, and vehicular assault in connection with two homicides that occurred on New Year’s Day in 2021. The plea agreement recommends a 37-year prison sentence for Fernandez-Rodriguez. The crimes deeply impacted the community, and while the agreed-upon sentence may not provide complete justice, it ensures a conviction and prison time. The incidents involved a violent attack in front of the Yakima YWCA and a subsequent fatal car crash..
1. Man pleads guilty in woman’s death and head-on crash that killed man on New Year’s | Crime And Courts
2. Man pleads guilty in woman’s death and head-on crash that killed man on New Year’s | Crime And Courts, 2021.
