Iowa high school shooting defendant takes plea deal

Sep 30, 2022, 2:54 PM | Updated: 3:54 pm

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — One of the 10 teenagers charged with murder in a drive-by shooting death of a 15-year-old boy outside a downtown Des Moines high school in March has entered a plea deal with prosecutors and a second is considering a plea.

Court documents said Manuel Buezo, 17, entered the guilty plea to second-degree murder and two counts of willful injury on Wednesday.

Judge Scott Rosenberg ordered sentencing for May 30. The plea agreement says prosecutors have agreed to seek a sentence of up to 50 years in prison with all but 20 years suspended.

Buezo remains in jail awaiting sentencing. His attorney did not immediately respond to a message Friday.

A second teen, Kevin Martinez, 16, was scheduled to appear at a plea hearing on Friday. His attorney declined to comment, and details of the hearing were not immediately available through online Iowa court records. Court documents indicated, however, that he agreed to amended charges of two counts of intimidation with a weapon, felonies that carry up to 10 years in prison.

There were 10 juveniles riding in three moving vehicles and at least six guns from which more than 42 bullets were fired during the March 7 shooting, Des Moines police have said.

Eight of defendants were charged as adults with first-degree murder and other crimes while the remaining two were sent to juvenile court.

Jose Lopez, his sister, one of her female friends and two other youths were standing near a sidewalk outside of Des Moines East High School talking when two cars and a pickup truck sped by and the occupants released a hail of gunfire striking Lopez, his sister and her friend. Lopez, 15, died, and the two girls were seriously injured.

Those charged were between the ages of 14 and 18 at the time of the shooting. Those age 16 or older have been charged as adults under an Iowa law that automatically moves cases involving youth 16 or older charged with a forcible felony into adult court. Adults in Iowa face life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder. However, Iowa courts have said juveniles cannot be given life sentences without a chance for parole. Some of the defendants have sought to have a judge move their cases to juvenile court. But they have been denied.

Two others, aged 14 and 15 at the time of the shooting remain in juvenile court. Their convictions would likely keep them in state custody only until their 18th birthday if they are tried and found to be guilty as juveniles.

Gumaro Marquez-Jacobo, Braulio Hernandez-Salas and Kevin Martinez are scheduled to be tried on Oct. 17 in Des Moines. Martinez will not go to trial if he agrees to a plea deal.

Octavio Lopez, Henry Valladares Amaya and Daniel Hernandez have trial dates set for March 6.

A judge recently set the trial date for Romeo Perdomo for April 10.

A document filed by Assistant Polk County Attorney James Hathaway in July said prosecutors have chosen to split up defendants into separate trials “in order to reduce the complexity and logistical difficulties in this case.”

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Haitian migrant Gerson Solay, 28, carries his daughter, Bianca, as he and his family cross into Can...
Associated Press

US, Canada to end loophole that allows asylum-seekers to move between countries

President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced a plan to close a loophole to an immigration agreement.
2 days ago
Expert skateboarder Di'Orr Greenwood, an artist born and raised in the Navajo Nation in Arizona and...
Associated Press

Indigenous skateboard art featured on new stamps unveiled at Phoenix skate park

The Postal Service unveiled the “Art of the Skateboard" stamps at a Phoenix skate park, featuring designs from Indigenous artists.
2 days ago
(Facebook Photo/City of San Luis, Arizona)...
Associated Press

San Luis authorities receive complaints about 911 calls going across border

Authorities in San Luis say they are receiving more complaints about 911 calls mistakenly going across the border.
8 days ago
(Pexels Photo)...
Associated Press

Daylight saving time begins in most of US this weekend

No time change is observed in Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.
16 days ago
Mexican army soldiers prepare a search mission for four U.S. citizens kidnapped by gunmen in Matamo...
Associated Press

How the 4 abducted Americans in Mexico were located

The anonymous tip that led Mexican authorities to a remote shack where four abducted Americans were held described armed men and blindfolds.
16 days ago
Tom Brundy points to a newly built irrigation canal on one of the fields at his farm Tuesday, Feb. ...
Associated Press

Southwest farmers reluctant to idle farmland to save water

There is a growing sense that fallowing will have to be part of the solution to the increasingly desperate drought in the West.
23 days ago

Sponsored Articles

...
Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.
...
Fiesta Bowl Foundation

Celebrate 50 years of Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade magic!

Since its first production in the early 1970s, the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl Parade presented by Lerner & Rowe has been a staple of Valley traditions, bringing family fun and excitement to downtown Phoenix.
(Desert Institute for Spine Care photo)...
DESERT INSTITUTE FOR SPINE CARE

Why DISC is world renowned for back and neck pain treatments

Fifty percent of Americans and 90% of people at least 50 years old have some level of degenerative disc disease.
Iowa high school shooting defendant takes plea deal