Pullman man given 16 year in prison for College Hill killing; Man was shot five times in the head

A 31-year-old man who shot another man in the head five times in 2024 while the two smoked methamphetamine together on Pullman’s College Hill was sentenced to 16½ years in prison.

Jorge Rigo Amezcua, of Pullman, pleaded guilty Feb. 6 to second-degree murder for killing 28-year-old Darcy Spracklin. Whitman County Superior Court Judge Roger Sandberg handed down the sentence on Friday, which included three years of probation after his prison term as well as drug treatment, according to the Whitman County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

Amezcua claimed Spracklin told him he wanted to commit suicide, but could not do so for religious reasons, according to court documents. He admitted to firing six rounds at the back of Spracklin’s head while Spracklin sat in a chair in an abandoned house that was formerly the Sigma Chi fraternity. He told police Spracklin did not tell him he wanted Amezcua to shoot or kill him but could “feel or hear” Spracklin telling him that was what he wanted.

Amezcua also made statements indicating he believed if he didn’t kill Spracklin, he would be the one killed even though Spracklin did not verbally threaten him. He said Spracklin got up and walked out of the abandoned house after he was shot. Amezcua said he didn’t know where Spracklin went and that Amezcua then rode his bicycle away, court records say.

Pullman firefighters were called at about 3 a.m. Dec. 26, 2024 , to 815 N.E. California St., across the street from the abandoned house, for a reported seizure, according to court documents. Spracklin’s friend reported he had just arrived at the residence and believed Spracklin was having a seizure as he was convulsing and bleeding.

Spracklin was taken to Pullman Regional Hospital which reported Spracklin had multiple “slugs” in his head from gunshots. He died late at night on Dec. 26.

Court records suggest Amezcua used a .22-caliber revolver to kill Spracklin.

A Pullman police detective noted five bullets and a fragment in Spracklin’s head on hospital X-rays with entry wounds near the left side and back of his head. Whitman County Coroner Annie Pillars said Spracklin died of multiple gunshot wounds and ruled his death a homicide, according to court records.

A man told police Spracklin would purchase meth from a drug dealer named, “Rico,” and Rico would just walk into Spracklin’s residence. Police identified Rico as Amezcua.

Detectives discovered that Amezcua made and received several calls and texts from about 2:30 a.m. to 4 a.m. the morning of the killing and in the area of the murder, according to court documents. Spracklin called Amezcua that morning at about 12:55 a.m.

Police arrested Amezcua almost two months after the murder as Amezcua was leaving his residence. He had meth and yellow pills, which Amezcua said were Adderall he didn’t have a prescription for.

Amezcua admitted to using meth with Spracklin, including the morning of the murder. He initially denied being with Spracklin on Christmas or the day after, but then admitted to riding his bicycle, meeting with Spracklin and shooting him. He told detectives he met Spracklin at an abandoned house across from Spracklin’s apartment.

Police found Spracklin’s backpack and a chair with blood on it inside the boarded-up former fraternity, according to court records.

Whitman County Deputy Prosecutor Lindsi Alcantar told The Spokesman-Review she and the defense reached a plea agreement that would send Amezcua to prison for just over 10 years, the low end of the standard sentence range. Sandberg instead sentenced him to 16½ years, which was closer to the high end of the sentence range of over 18 years.

Alcantar said she recommended the low end because Amezcua did not have a criminal history, he pleaded guilty as charged and there were evidentiary issues that could have been problematic at trial. Amezcua’s possession of a controlled substance charge was dismissed as part of the plea agreement.

Alcantar said she didn’t disagree with the judge’s sentence.

“This case is such a tragedy, and an unfortunate example of the dangers of drug use,” Alcantar said in a news release. “However, this resolution gives Mr. Spracklin’s family closure, certainty that Mr. Amezcua will be held accountable for his actions, hopefully address his substance abuse issues, and provide meaningful punishment for Mr. Amezcua’s irreversible actions.”