Salem teen gets life in prison for murder-for-hire plot, but could get out in 15 years
In a landmark case involving a 16-year-old committing murder for hire, a drug debt, gangs and a Facetimed shooting, a Salem man was sentenced to life in prison Thursday in Marion County Circuit Court.
The case was one of the few murder cases involving youth tried as adults since a change in Oregon law. Even though he received a life sentence, Gerardo Trujillo-Torres, now 19, will be eligible for parole after 15 years and a "second look" release hearing halfway through his sentence.
Trujillo-Torres pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder with a firearm for killing Joshua Steward, 24, and shooting Amaretta Rice in the head during a fake drug deal near Hoover Elementary School in northeast Salem on Jan. 16, 2021.
What happened
At the time of the shooting, Trujillo-Torres was on parole from the Oregon Youth Authority for third-degree assault. He was contacted by local drug dealers Rayshawn Stickland, 25, and Fred Ferguson, then 23, who trafficked cocaine, marijuana and fentanyl-laced fake oxycodone pills throughout Salem and Eugene, according to investigators.
In early 2021, Strickland and Ferguson ordered the execution of Steward, their former associate, over a perceived drug debt and the belief that Steward was an informant to police.
They set up a fake drug deal through another associate, Chad Pomelow, 22, and arranged for Trujillo-Torres, who investigators said was a known gang member in Salem, to kill Steward. Trujillo-Torres did not know either of his victims.
Rice drove Steward from Gresham to Salem on the evening of Jan. 16, 2021, in her Toyota Camry to meet a man Steward had been communicating with on Snapchat.
She told investigators she knew Steward had done previous drug deliveries and was part of a larger group that trafficked drugs in the state and other parts of the country.
At about 8 p.m., they pulled into the parking lot in front of Hoover Elementary School to wait for the man, she said. When the man appeared, dressed in dark, baggy clothing and a surgical face mask, he walked up to the passenger side of the car.
The woman rolled down her window and heard the man say, "Quick exchange?" before he pulled a revolver from his waistband and began shooting.
The woman said she heard at least three shots and saw Steward accelerate the car before everything went black.
Salem police responded at 8:15 p.m. to reports of shots fired near Savage Road and Ladd Avenue, where they found a car crashed into a tree, with Steward and Rice inside.
Trujillo-Torres shot Steward in the chest, wrist and arm. He died at the scene. Rice, who had been shot in the head and broken her back and ruptured her spleen, was taken to the hospital and survived.
According to court records, Trujillo-Torres was Facetiming with Ferguson at the time of the murder. Partygoers at a house party attended by Ferguson could hear gunshots through the phone and cheered at Steward's death.
During the investigation, Salem Police discovered the murder-for-hire plot and arrested Ferguson, Pomelow, Strickland and Trujillo-Torres.
A landmark case
Trujillo-Torres's prosecution became a landmark case in Marion County.
He was among the first in the state to be charged as an adult under Oregon's new juvenile justice reform law, which the Legislature passed in 2019.
The law removes the requirement to charge 15-, 16-, and 17-year-olds as adults for Measure 11 crimes, including murder and rape. Previously, children under 18 who committed serious crimes were automatically tried as adults.
Now, serious criminal cases involving teens must undergo a juvenile waiver hearing to determine whether the defendant should be tried as an adult.
More: Murder case involving 17-year-old one of first under new Oregon juvenile justice reform law
In May 2022, Marion County Circuit Court Judge Lindsay Partridge presided over the juvenile “waiver hearing” for Trujillo-Torres.
At the conclusion of that five-day hearing, Judge Partridge waived Trujillo-Torres into adult court.
Since 2019, Trujillo-Torres is one of two youths in Oregon waived into adult court in this manner.
Associates sentenced
While his case was awaiting trial, his associates, who were adults at the time of the crime, were held in jail and sentenced.
Ferguson died in jail from a fentanyl overdose in July 2021 while being held on charges of murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Strickland, who was arrested on similar charges, pleaded guilty to the lesser counts of attempted conspiracy to commit murder and racketeering. He was sentenced in June to five years and 10 months in prison.
Pomelow pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison.
Trujillo-Torres could get out in 15 years
During a plea hearing and sentencing Thursday, Trujillo-Torres pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and attempted murder.
Marion County Judge David Leith sentenced him to life at the Oregon Department of Corrections, with a 25-year minimum before the possibility of parole or post-prison supervision.
But despite the "life" sentence, Trujillo-Torres is legally eligible for a parole hearing after 15 years served and is also eligible for a “second look” proceeding at 50% of his total sentence served.
Prosecutors said both of these additional release hearings were amendments to Oregon law under Senate Bill 1008 and the additional release hearings apply to any case where the person was under 18 at the time of the crime, no matter how many victims, consecutive sentences, or the length of the total sentence any defendant receives.
Trujillo-Torres is eligible to serve his sentence at MacLaren Correctional Youth Facility until he is 25. After his 25th birthday, he will be transferred to the Department of Corrections.
Had Trujillo-Torres’ case been resolved in juvenile court, he would have been released back to the community prior to his 25th birthday and would have had no supervision whatsoever beyond age 25.
Victim frustrated by sentence
In a statement, Rice, the surviving victim said she did not agree with the outcome of the case.
"If you can commit murder, you can handle the adult consequences," she said. "I’m disappointed in Oregon’s system. He (Trujillo-Torres) has an opportunity for parole and a second look after killing one person and almost killing me."
She said it was not fair but was grateful for the efforts of prosecutors and detectives.
The cases were prosecuted by Marion County deputy district attorneys Brendan Murphy and Katie Suver.
Murphy said he finds it concerning that so few juvenile cases are waived into adult court.
“This case highlights a serious gap in public safety: Oregon’s response to violent juvenile conduct," Murphy said. "Our state’s current legal structure around violent juvenile behavior does not prioritize public safety and victims.”
This article includes reporting from Virginia Barreda.
For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodworth@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-910-6616 or follow on Twitter at @wmwoodworth
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem teen gets life for murder-for-hire, but could get out in 15
