YAKIMA, Wash. — Sundron Larsell Miller, 37, and Paula Eulojia Cantu-Lopez, 27, both residents of White Swan, have been found guilty of multiple charges following a trial that ended on August 11, 2023. The verdicts, announced by Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, come after an incident involving carjacking, assault and attempted murder on the Yakama Reservation.
The jury’s decision, reached after a trial presided over by Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian, found Miller guilty of carjacking, brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, being a felon in possession of a firearm and assault with intent to commit murder. Cantu-Lopez was also found guilty of carjacking, brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
The trial unveiled details of the events of December 28, 2021. The victim, an enrolled member of the Yakama Nation, was driving her pickup truck in the area of Fort Simcoe Road with Miller and Cantu-Lopez, who were romantically involved. Miller began assaulting Cantu-Lopez and when the victim tried to stop them, they both turned on her.
During the assault, the victim was pulled from her truck, and Miller tried shooting her with the victim’s rifle. The victim recounted that Miller aimed the rifle at her face and pulled the trigger, resulting in a “clicking” sound but the rifle was unloaded. Following the attempted shooting, Miller and Cantu-Lopez continued their assault on the victim, ultimately throwing her into the back of the truck and transporting her to a house in White Swan.
The victim said Miller took control of the victim’s truck and drove away, with Cantu-Lopez holding the victim by her hair in the back seat. They continued to beat the victim in the home before she was able to escape.
Sentencing for Miller and Cantu-Lopez is scheduled for November 15, 2023.
