Almost 4 months after Kirkland Warren was sentenced to life in jail for the killing of a Vancouver mom and daughter, he has but to formally plead responsible in his different homicide case in Arkansas due to paperwork snafus.
Warren, 29, pleaded responsible Sept. 5 in Clark County Superior Courtroom to second-degree homicide and aggravated first-degree homicide within the deaths of his former girlfriend, 27-year-old Meshay Melendez, and her 7-year-old daughter, Layla Stewart, respectively. The mom and daughter had been killed between March 12 and 13, 2023. Warren additionally entered an Alford plea to first-degree baby molestation — which permits a defendant to keep up his innocence however admit there’s sufficient proof to convict him — for sexually assaulting Layla.
The plea got here days earlier than his multiweek trial was set to begin. Senior Deputy Prosecutor Toby Krauel beforehand mentioned Warren additionally agreed to plead responsible as charged within the 2017 taking pictures of Curtis Urquhart in Arkansas. The plea settlement meant Warren would enter responsible pleas to first-degree homicide and abuse of a corpse and be sentenced from Washington. Arkansas agreed to not search the demise penalty, courtroom information present, and no matter sentence Warren receives in that case is ready to run concurrent along with his life sentence right here.
He was sentenced within the Clark County case in October.
However a date has but to be set for Warren to enter the plea in Arkansas. Warren was out on bail within the case on the time of Melendez and Layla’s killings.
Cymber Tadlock, the deputy prosecutor who’s dealing with Warren’s Arkansas case, mentioned Friday that Warren’s Arkansas protection lawyer had met with him to fill out plea paperwork, however when Tadlock acquired the types, they weren’t all signed correctly. Now, the attorneys are ready for Warren to reach at his long-term vacation spot with the Washington Division of Corrections, she mentioned, earlier than his Arkansas lawyer can meet with him to complete the types. Then, Tadlock mentioned they’ll schedule a listening to to enter the plea.
“It’s going to happen,” Tadlock mentioned.
Data present Warren is being held on the Washington Corrections Heart in Shelton.
Tadlock additionally pointed to a price range disaster in her county and excessive caseloads as contributing to the delay.
Tadlock mentioned she’s been in contact with Melendez’s household and promised to share particulars about any listening to in the event that they wished to observe or communicate.