Convicted killer gets third strike after latest Spokane assault, sentenced to life in prison

A 55-year-old convicted killer was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without parole after his latest violent Spokane attack marked his third strike.

Court documents indicate Ian C. Irizarry’s “first strike” came in 2003 in Tacoma, Washington, when Irizarry, who was camping under a bridge, bludgeoned another camper to death, according to the Spokane County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Irizarry told several others he killed the man to take care of problems the man caused.

Irizarry was sentenced to 12 years in prison for first-degree manslaughter.

The first of two Spokane assaults happened in 2021 in downtown Spokane when Irizarry approached a man sleeping on the ground and hit him several times with a metal pipe, the prosecutor’s office said in a news release. Irizarry then pulled a knife and lunged at the man while threatening to kill him. The man tried to run, but Irizarry chased him holding the pipe until Irizarry eventually left.

The man was taken to the hospital with significant injuries. Irizarry was convicted of second-degree assault and sentenced to two years in prison.

The second Spokane assault, and Irizarry’s third strike, came in March 2024 north of Hutton Avenue off Langley Street near the Spokane River, prosecutors said, citing court documents. Irizarry was arguing with another man telling him he was going to kill him.

Testimony shows Irizarry then hit the man multiple times with a machete. Irizarry’s co-defendant also hit the man using a wooden fence post and later pleaded guilty to second-degree assault. The man sustained significant injuries.

A Spokane County jury on Oct. 9 found Irizarry guilty of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon, the release said.

Spokane County Superior Court Judge Marla Polin Thursday sentenced Irizarry to life in prison without the possibility of parole after he was found to be a “persistent offender” under state law. The law states courts shall impose a mandatory life sentence for defendants convicted of three “most serious offenses.”