EVERETT — Guillermo Padilla had just turned 16 when he found himself in the back seat of a car hunting rival gang members.
He was carrying a .22-caliber gun. He had bought the weapon and ammo for $100 a few months earlier after one of his friends was hit by gunfire in a gang-fueled drive-by shooting.
“I figured I should upgrade to something more protective,” Padilla testified last month during the trial of a co-defendant.
As part of the gang life, Guillermo was expected to be armed at all times. He also needed to complete a mission — either shoot at a rival or beat one up.
Padilla, now 17, was sentenced Monday to 12 years in prison for his part in the death of Anthony Camacho.
Camacho, 17, was gunned down Dec. 11, 2015, outside a house in south Everett. Investigators believe the shooting was motivated by an ongoing feud that already had resulted in bloodshed and multiple arrests. Camacho’s family and friends said the ACES High School student wasn’t in a gang but associated with people who were.
Prosecutors accused Diego Tavares of shooting Camacho. Jurors were told that Tavares, then 19, was seeking revenge for being shot at earlier in the night.
A jury earlier this month convicted Tavares of first-degree murder but apparently wasn’t convinced that prosecutors had proven that Tavares pulled the trigger. Jurors didn’t find that Tavares was armed with a firearm at the time of the murder. They also acquitted him of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
He is scheduled to be sentenced in June.
Padilla pleaded guilty last year to second-degree murder. He was prosecuted as an adult because of the serious nature of the crime. As part of his plea, Padilla had to cooperate with investigators.
He and Edgar Calixto testified during Tavares’ murder trial. Calixto, 17, also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. He recently was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Detectives believe that Calixto drove the group to the scene of the shooting in his father’s Lincoln.
Superior Court Judge Ellen Fair on Monday disputed the defense’s claims that Padilla played a small role in the homicide. He handed the shooter the gun that was used to kill Camacho, Fair said.
The judge, who presided over the murder trial, said she questions why these young men embrace the gang culture. By all accounts, most of them come from decent, supportive families, Fair said.
But “the influence of their families has been overshadowed by the influence of the gangs,” she said. The end result is one young man is dead and three others are facing years behind bars.
The violence on the streets continues, she said, referring to reports of recent shootings involving young men associated with gangs.
Padilla’s aunt asked for her nephew’s forgiveness. She had pledged to God to guide her nephew in his life. His family struggles to understand how they lost him to the gang.
“We know as the adults we have failed and due to our mistakes he was taken,” Carmen Lopez said through an interpreter.
Padilla apologized Monday. He told the judge he wants to do better.
“You do have a second chance. You’re still very young,” Fair said. “You will have that second chance. That’s more of a chance than Anthony Camacho had. He will never have a second chance.”
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.
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