Yakima, Washington – Jurors will commence deliberations on Monday to determine whether Jonathan A. Hidalgo is guilty of murder or if he acted to protect a vulnerable child. The murder trial of Hidalgo, who is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of his stepfather, Charles Ellis Wade Mills, concluded on Friday with closing arguments presented in Yakima County Superior Court.
Both sides agree that Hidalgo, 21, fatally shot Mills in the head. However, the attorneys presented differing arguments regarding the motive behind the crime. Hidalgo claimed that he killed Mills because he believed Mills was abusing a young child known to the family. He stated that video recordings on his phone supported his belief. Deputy Yakima County Prosecuting Attorney Nicholas Barrett argued that Hidalgo’s response to the perceived child molestation did not meet the standards of a reasonable person. Barrett contended that instead of turning the evidence over to the police for investigation, Hidalgo chose to fatally shoot Mills in the head.
Barrett highlighted the premeditation involved in the crime, emphasizing that Hidalgo did not immediately take action upon discovering what he believed to be abuse. Instead, Hidalgo listened to the recordings again and even smoked a blunt before shooting Mills. Yakima police Detective Mario Vela testified that during a child forensic interview following the shooting, the girl did not mention any molestation.
In his closing argument, Defense attorney Charles Dold criticized Barrett’s use of the word “massacre” to describe the shooting, arguing that the word should be reserved for historical instances such as attacks on Native Americans. Dold urged the jurors to consider Hidalgo’s actions from the perspective of an 18-year-old, the age Hidalgo was at the time of the shooting. Dold claimed that Hidalgo’s decision to shoot Mills was driven by a desire to protect the girl from harm.
Testifying on behalf of the defense, Hidalgo’s mother, Marina Mills, described her son as “antisocial” during his childhood. She revealed that a pediatrician suggested he would outgrow this behavior, but he never did. Marina Mills disclosed that the Yakima School District advised her to enroll Hidalgo in online courses due to his accelerated pace of completing schoolwork compared to his peers. She recounted how Hidalgo accused Mills of abuse a couple of months before the shooting. After confirming with the girl that she had not been abused, Marina Mills had Hidalgo apologize to her husband, believing the matter was resolved.
The trial concluded on a less dramatic note than its beginning, which saw Hidalgo attempting to fire his attorney and represent himself. Hidalgo attempted to escape the courtroom during jury selection but was detained by officials. Consequently, Judge Jared Boswell ordered Hidalgo to wear leg restraints while in court, with black tablecloths covering the prosecution and defense tables to conceal the leg irons. Boswell acknowledged Hidalgo’s improved behavior throughout the rest of the trial.
The jury is now tasked with determining whether Hidalgo’s actions were justified in protecting the girl from alleged abuse or if he committed a murder. Their deliberations will begin on Monday.