Yakima man gets 7 years for slaying 15-year-old boy

A Yakima man was sentenced Monday to more than seven years in prison for the shooting death of a 15-year-old boy in 2005.

David Infante, 23, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in the death of Mario Rosales. Yakima County Superior Court Judge Michael Schwab sentenced him to seven years and two months.

Rosales' mother, grandmother and sister all told the court how much Rosales' absence had hurt them.

"Be a man and take responsibility," Rosales' sister, Hope, said, chastising Infante for not showing any emotion during the hearing. "You were man enough take him from us."

Infante's relatives apologized to Rosales' family for their loss. They described Infante as a good person and told the judge they expected him to be fair in his ruling.

While Infante's grandmother was speaking, Rosales' mother, Tammy, rose from her bench to exclaim that the defendant's family would still get to see their son while her child was dead. Schwab noted the tensions created by the tragedy before continuing the hearing.

Infante addressed the court only briefly before Schwab agreed with the 86-month sentence negotiated by the attorneys.

"I just want to say I'm sorry for what happened and apologize to the family. That's it," Infante said.

Infante would have faced more than 15 years behind bars if convicted of the original second-degree murder charge.

Rosales was shot at an intersection near the Southeast Yakima Community Center on Dec. 31, 2005. His killing capped a bloody year of 24 homicides in Yakima County -- the most since 1987.

Police said that Rosales and Infante -- who had ties to rival gangs -- happened across each other. After an exchange of words, Infante shot Rosales in the chest. He died at the scene.

Rosales and a group of friends and relatives were returning from an evening trip to Wal-Mart when their truck sputtered to a stop, apparently after running out of gas. Police said the group had tried to steal merchandise from Wal-Mart, although Rosales' mother contended he was not part of that.

The violent encounter happened as the group was trying to figure out what to do about the disabled vehicle.

Deputy prosecutor Tamara Hanlon and defense attorney Greg Scott of Yakima worked out the manslaughter plea in order to resolve the long-running case.

Prosecutors had to dismiss the original second-degree murder case, then refile it, because of problems with key witnesses.

More than a dozen corrections officers and Yakima police gang officers were on hand because of concerns that conflicts could erupt between the two families.

Rosales' relatives, most of whom have moved out of the area, said that they had been harassed and threatened inside the courtroom and outside the jail during a previous hearing.

* Mark Morey can be reached at 577-7671 or mmorey@yakimaherald.com.