PORTLAND, Ore. — A judge in Clark County sentenced a man to life in prison for the murders of ex-girlfriend Meshay Melendez and her 7-year-old daughter Layla Stewart.
Kirkland Warren pleaded guilty on Sept. 5 to first-degree aggravated murder, second-degree murder and first-degree child molestation days before the murder trial was set to start. He received the maximum punishment allowed under Washington law in court on Tuesday, life in prison without the possibility of parole.
He had previously pleaded not guilty in the year leading up to the trial that was expected to last weeks. Prosecutors had signaled that they intended to call 77 witnesses.
Back in 2023, Melendez and Stewart were reported missing after they were last seen traveling with Warren on March 12. Ten days later, law enforcement found their bodies in a rural area near Washougal after a call from a passerby. Both had been shot in the head, police said.
Police also accused Warren of raping the young girl before killing her and her mother.
Warren had been arrested days before the bodies were found on a parole violation, a witness tampering charge and violation of a no-contact order, all related to Melendez.
Police identified Warren as a suspect after court documents showed that he had assaulted and shot up Melendez’ apartment and pressured her into dropping the charges.
Hundreds of people attended a vigil to remember Melendez and her daughter at Esther Short Park in Washougal days after their bodies were found.
