WALLA WALLA — The Washington State Supreme Court has reinstated the murder conviction of a gang member serving a life sentence for a fatal shooting in Walla Walla.
The Walla Walla Union-Bulletin says Benito Gomez was convicted of gunning down rival gang member Julio Cesar Martinez in May 2011.
A state appeals court reversed his convictions for second-degree murder and assault in 2014 and ordered a new trial. The appellate court said the trial judge made remarks prohibiting the public from entering the courtroom once trial started, amounting to an unconstitutional closure of the courtroom.
The nine state Supreme Court justices disagreed, saying the trial judge didn’t fully exclude the public from entering the courtroom by his remarks and that it didn’t amount to a constitutional violation.
Gomez is serving his sentence at Washington State Penitentiary.
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