Yakima jail killing suspect’s bail set at $10 million

YAKIMA - Erick Garcia Romero, one of two men accused of killing a Yakima County jail inmate Wednesday, was ordered held on $10 million bail Thursday.

The bail is on top of a $3 million bail that was set in an earlier case in which Romero was charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting at officers who tried to arrest him in connection with a drive-by shooting.

Romero, 25, of Yakima, is accused of fatally stabbing Timothy Denton in a Yakima County jail cell Wednesday morning. Jail video reportedly shows him leaving Denton’s cell with his arms covered in blood.

An autopsy found Denton died from multiple stab wounds to the torso, and that the attack continued even after he was dead, Yakima County Coroner Jack Hawkins said.

Superior Court Judge Gayle Harthcock also set bail at $1 million for Hilario Sosa, 19, of Outlook, who authorities say also participated in the attack. The men, who were both wearing handcuffs and leg chains, were brought into the jail basement courtroom under heavy guard.

They are being held on suspicion of first-degree murder in Denton’s death.

Denton had been booked into the jail Tuesday on an arrest warrant charging him with first-degree burglary, second-degree assault and third-degree malicious mischief in connection with domestic violence. He was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday morning.

Corrections officers found Denton dead in his cell around 10:30 a.m., according to a probable cause affidavit. Authorities found a makeshift knife in the blood-spattered cell, along with a “14” drawn in blood on the cell walls, the case affidavit said.

The number is sometimes associated with Norteqo street gangs.

Yakima County Detective Sgt. Mike Russell said while there are indications the killing was gang-related, investigators are still looking for a clear motive in the case.

Court records show Denton was a member of the FB gang, while Romero is a documented member of a Norteqo gang. There was no indication if Sosa had any gang ties.

Security video showed a corrections officer walk by Denton’s cell during a check around 8:30 a.m., the affidavit said.

Romero and Sosa were seen standing together near Denton’s cell when the officer went by, the affidavit said, and as soon as the officer left the unit the two were seen on the video walking “briskly and directly” to Denton’s cell.

The incident happened during a period when inmates were being allowed to roam freely within the jail pod and are not locked into their cells.

After Romero opened the door, the video showed him “charging into” the cell, followed by Sosa, who casually walked out a minute later drawing his finger across his throat twice, the affidavit said.

After 10 minutes, in which investigators say the video showed quick movements from time to time in the cell, Romero came out with his hands and arms covered with blood. He then struck a pose with his arms in the air, apparently showing other inmates his bloody hands, the affidavit said.

Investigators later found a set of blood-covered slippers in Romero’s cell, and said the sole of one matched a bloody footprint in Denton’s cell.

Denton’s death is the 11th homicide in the county this year, and the first at the jail since 2007, when Damian Long was beaten to death.

Romero has been detained in the jail since September, after he was arrested following a 90-minute standoff outside a home in the 1200 block of South Ninth Ave. Authorities say Romero shot at officers from the Pacific Northwest Violent Offenders Task Force in that incident, wounding a state Department of Corrections officer who had come to arrest him in connection with a drive-by shooting earlier in the day.

He’s facing three counts of attempted first-degree murder, along with first-degree assault and unlawful firearms possession and drive-by shooting in those incidents.

Romero also has prior convictions for drug possession, unlawful firearms possession, malicious mischief, assault and possessing stolen property.

Sosa is awaiting trial on charges of first-degree robbery and second-degree unlawful firearms possession. A Sunnyside man reported Sosa robbed him of a chain necklace at gunpoint in December.

Court records show Sosa also has convictions in juvenile court for obstructing police, malicious mischief, misdemeanor assault, possessing a stolen motor vehicle, underage alcohol consumption and unlawful firearms possession.