A man accused of fatally shooting his friend in a van at a convenience store in Tacoma a week after being released from prison has been sentenced in Pierce County Superior Court.
Court records say 28-year-old Manuel Chapa killed the man because gang leaders ordered him to do so. Now he will spend 25 years in prison for second-degree murder and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, the low end of the standard sentencing range for such cases.
Chapa was sentenced Oct. 19. He pleaded guilty to the charges Oct. 1. He was originally charged with first-degree murder for the Sept. 25, 2020 killing of 26-year-old Christian Martinez of Lakewood. Chapa has several prior felony convictions.
According to charging documents, witnesses told detectives Chapa had recently been released from prison and was ordered to kill Martinez because the victim had left the gang.
"... the defendant was put up to this by someone higher in the gang, and that the defendant did not want to shoot the victim because they were friends," one witness told Tacoma police.
Someone in Martinez's van the night he died said Chapa told the victim he wanted to see his old friends but gave them "the run around" about where to meet, directing them to five different convenience stores before the shooting occurred.
Surveillance footage from the store showed the victim's van circle the area before leaving. Chapa then arrived at the store in a sedan and got out. Martinez' van returned and parked, then Chapa crossed the lot to the van.
"The victim opened the van window and said, 'What's up?' and started to stick his hand out to shake hands when (Chapa) started shooting at him, hitting the victim in the neck," according to charging papers.
A man and a woman with Martinez drove him to St. Joseph Medical Center. Police arrived there at 1:50 a.m. after doctors reported a shooting victim had been brought in. Martinez died of a gunshot wound but had suffered previous gunshot wounds in the last month, doctors said.
Martinez's mother later identified Chapa's photograph, saying she'd known Chapa since he was 6. In a victim statement submitted to the court, Martinez' mother said Christian was a good son who respected others. She said she lost her job because of her depression over the loss of her son.
"Until today I don't know why this person did what he did," she wrote. "It has caused us a lot of suffering, since he took the life of my son."
Chapa was arrested three days after the shooting after police learned he was spotted at a hotel on Hosmer Street and placed him under surveillance. Police later tried to pull over his vehicle, which led to a brief pursuit that ended with Chapa crashing his car. Chapa and one other person were arrested.
