Girl, 17, charged as adult in Everett murder-for-hire

EVERETT — A teenage girl from Spokane has been charged as an adult with aggravated murder in a 2017 shooting south of Everett.

Prosecutors allege that she and a Tacoma man, who also was in his teens at the time, were hired to kill an Everett woman but shot the wrong person.

Alisha Canales-McGuire, 24, was killed in September 2017 inside the front door of a home in the 3100 block of York Road. She was babysitting for her sister, who was out of town. Police believe her sister was the intended victim in a plot allegedly hatched by her former husband.

On Wednesday, Alexis Hale, 17, pleaded not guilty in Snohomish County Superior Court before being transported back to the Denney Juvenile Justice Center. Her bail was raised from $500,000 to $2 million.

Based on her age and the seriousness of the charge, Hale’s case was filed in adult court.

Also charged are Jerradon Phelps, 20, and Kevin Lewis, 31.

Lewis is the ex-husband of Canales-McGuire’s sister. They were married eight years and had three children.

Months before the homicide, in June 2017, the woman reported that Lewis told her he wanted full custody of the children and child support. He’d threatened that if he didn’t get those things, he would kill her, according to her statements in court papers. By late August 2017, she had been granted full custody of the kids. Instead of receiving child support, Lewis was ordered to pay $800 per month.

According to what Phelps reported to police this month, Lewis offered $2,400 to get his ex-wife “out of the way.”

Lewis is serving three years in prison for two convictions of second-degree assault against his ex-wife. At a sentencing in that domestic case, his ex-wife told a judge she believed the fatal shots were meant for her.

Nearly a year after the shooting, detectives were out of leads.

That changed in August 2018 when they received a tip from a witness living in Spokane. That person said an acquaintance of hers told a group of friends that she had been hired to kill someone on York Road. Prosecutors allege that Hale was the teen making those claims.

The girl reportedly claimed she and Phelps were offered $10,000 by a “baby daddy” to kill the woman, but they ended up being paid about $2,000.

Phelps allegedly told police that he shot Canales-McGuire for $2,400.

“Phelps explained that Hale was fully aware of the plan, and she provided the firearm used to kill Canales-McGuire,” prosecutors wrote in charging papers. “According to Phelps, he paid Hale $200 for her involvement in the homicide from money that Lewis gave him. Hale also disposed of the murder weapon.”

Deputy prosecutor Jarett Goodkin asked for the $2 million bail, arguing that Hale presents a substantial risk to community safety and is unlikely to show up to court hearings.

In court papers, Hale was described as a runaway with ties to New Mexico. She reportedly used numerous aliases, which made it difficult for detectives to identify her during the investigation.

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.