GUILTY WA - Alililia “Lala” Minthorn, 25, murdered, Toppenish, 5 May 2019

[JerseyGirl]

Alililia “Lala” Minthorn is a young Native woman last seen May 5 in Toppenish.

‘We have so many missing people’: Coroner tests remains found on Yakima River island as families wait, hope

Help Us Find Alillia Lala Minthorn

 

[sasha17]

These appear to be her Facebook accounts:

Last public post May 2017: https://www.facebook.com/R.i.pMIZFIT.509E.S.Ps.LaLa
Last public post January 2019: AlilliaMinthorn LaLa

 

[PastTense]

"Authorities found the body of a Toppenish woman less than a month after she was reported missing in early May. Now, a September jury trial is set in U.S. District Court in Yakima for the man accused of killing her.

Jordan Everett Stevens, 29, was indicted July 17 in the death of Alillia “Lala” Minthorn, 25. The four-count indictment followed a June 28 criminal complaint charging him with one count of first-degree murder. His trial is set for Sept. 23.

Minthorn’s body was found in the hills north of Brownstown on May 29, where a witness had told investigators she was shot May 3, according to court documents. An autopsy May 30 determined Minthorn died of a gunshot wound to the head.

Witnesses told investigators Stevens killed Minthorn because she “ratted” on him and another suspect by talking to investigators about an April 30 assault they allegedly committed near a homeless camp outside Toppenish, according to court documents."
Missing woman found dead; September trial set for accused killer

Note you need to browse down half a page to get to this article--it is preceded by more general comments on missing Native American women.

"Deborah Maytubee Shipman, an activist and executive director at Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women USA, said she was surprised to learn Lala was found in May, and her family and the community is just getting news of it now.

"I thought we were over that with Yakama," she said. Shipman said this is the fourth time she knows of a family having to wait months to find out their loved one has been identified. "They saw us looking, and they said nothing," said Shipman."
Activists respond to news of missing Yakama woman found dead

This failure to notify family is totally unacceptable. I can't believe it.

 

[TatianaBarbie]

"Authorities found the body of a Toppenish woman less than a month after she was reported missing in early May. Now, a September jury trial is set in U.S. District Court in Yakima for the man accused of killing her.

Jordan Everett Stevens, 29, was indicted July 17 in the death of Alillia “Lala” Minthorn, 25. The four-count indictment followed a June 28 criminal complaint charging him with one count of first-degree murder. His trial is set for Sept. 23.

Minthorn’s body was found in the hills north of Brownstown on May 29, where a witness had told investigators she was shot May 3, according to court documents. An autopsy May 30 determined Minthorn died of a gunshot wound to the head.

Witnesses told investigators Stevens killed Minthorn because she “ratted” on him and another suspect by talking to investigators about an April 30 assault they allegedly committed near a homeless camp outside Toppenish, according to court documents."
Missing woman found dead; September trial set for accused killer

Note you need to browse down half a page to get to this article--it is preceded by more general comments on missing Native American women.

"Deborah Maytubee Shipman, an activist and executive director at Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women USA, said she was surprised to learn Lala was found in May, and her family and the community is just getting news of it now.

"I thought we were over that with Yakama," she said. Shipman said this is the fourth time she knows of a family having to wait months to find out their loved one has been identified. "They saw us looking, and they said nothing," said Shipman."
Activists respond to news of missing Yakama woman found dead

This failure to notify family is totally unacceptable. I can't believe it.

Great find, @PastTense! I just can't believe the family was not notified! The person who filed the missing report should have been notified at the very least!

Since where the body was found was possibly on the Yakama Nation Reservation, and the Toppenish Police Department was handling the missing case, and possibly another jurisdiction was doing the autopsy, that perhaps the multiple jurisdictions caused confusion.

Information about Brownstown being on the reservation:

Brownstown is an unincorporated community in Yakima County, Washington, United States. Brownstown is 3 miles west of Harrah. Brownstown has a post office with ZIP code 98920. It is a loosely-knit farming community within the Yakama Nation Reservation approximately halfway between Wapato and White Swan.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

'My sister didn't deserve this': Woman says of slaying

 

[JerseyGirl]

Fire destroys bar days after owner testified in murder trial

A Yakima tavern was destroyed by a fire Saturday after its owner testified in a federal murder trial.

Yakima firefighters were called around 4:40 a.m. about the fire at the Brownstone Tavern near Harrah. Fire Chief Kevin Frazier said the fire was “well involved” when firefighters arrived.

Tavern owner Tim Castilleja testified last week in the trial of Jordan Stevens, who on Thursday was found guilty of murder in the 2019 death of Alillia “Lala” Minthorn of Toppenish, The Yakima Herald-Republic reported.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Sentencing postponed for Jordan Stevens, convicted of killing Alillia "Lala" Minthorn

 

[JerseyGirl]

Judge denies convicted killer Jordan Stevens' request for new trial in death of Alillia Minthorn on Yakama Reservation

Convicted killer Jordan Stevens will not get a new trial, a federal judge recently ruled.

www.yakimaherald.com