SPOKANE, Wash. – The four teenage suspects in the northeast Spokane car chase turned fatal shooting from mid-February entered not guilty pleas in court Tuesday.
Everything happened Feb. 16 when police say a group of three men set up a buy to get their own stolen tools back, but when the sellers, including four men and one woman all under the age of 20, arrived at the meet-up location, they got spooked and drove off. The victims followed, and police say several of the suspects started shooting at the people behind them.
A police chase ensued, and when the five were almost caught, the four men in the car said the woman, 19-year-old Sallyann Yamane, shot herself in the head, not wanting to go back to jail. Yamane died in the hospital; the four others were arrested facing multiple charges.
According to court documents, it was determined by authorities that the group never intended on selling the stolen tools, they were just planning a robbery.
Christopher Gimmaka, Devin McEwen and Kayden Wiloughby, all 18 years old, plus 16-year-old Easton Letchworth appeared before a judge Tuesday. All four teenagers pleaded not guilty to each charge they are facing.
Wiloughby and Letchworth are charged with three counts of attempted murder in the first degree and one count of conspiracy to commit first degree Robbery.
Gimmaka and McEwen are facing the same four charges, except the judge specified in court Tuesday that along with the three counts of Attempted Murder in the First Degree, Gimmaka and McEwen are also facing an alternative First-Degree Assault.
McEwen is also facing an additional charge of Attempt to Elude a Police Vehicle, since police say he was the driver back on Feb. 16.
Each defendant will be back in court April 8 for their trial readiness hearing. Trial is set to begin for all four April 29.
