Jose Morales Killing: One Defendant Pleads Guilty To Manslaughter

GRESHAM, OR – There's been a guilty plea connected to the killing of 17-year-old Jose Morales. Cristian Martinez-Chavez pleaded guilty to first degree manslaughter with a firearm.

He will be sentenced next month and members of Morales's family are expected to be in court to talk about the teen and their life since his killing.

It was July 29, 2017 and Gresham Police responded to the intersection of Southeast 187th Avenue and Stark Street.

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There they found Morales dead from a single shot from a .22 caliber rifle.

Soon after, a Gresham officer pulled over a white Chrysler Sebring with three teens and a 20-year-old. It was barely a quarter-mile from where Morales had been found.

One of the teens had blood on him and the officer could see the rifle behind the driver's seat.

Court documents show that earlier in the evening, Morales had punched Martinez-Chavez in the face. After that, the four went to the home of one of them and retrieved the rifle.

Several witnesses identified Martinez-Chavez as the shooter.

As for the other defendants, Isai Guzman-Ramirez is scheduled to appear in court next week to change his plea while the other two – Francisco Martinez-Chavez, Cristian's brother, and Obed Garcia-Antonio – are scheduled to go on trial at the end of November.

Photo of Jose Morales courtesy Multnomah County District Attorney's Office.