A 17-year-old boy who was charged as an adult with manslaughter for shooting his friend in the chest has pleaded guilty and could be sentenced to up to 10 and a half years in prison.
On Dec. 9, Isaias Villalobos, 17, of Renton, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, and had his charge of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm dismissed. These charges stem from an April 13, 2024, incident where Villalobos accidentally shot his 15-year-old friend, whom court documents identified as J.V.
“On or about April 13, 2024, in King County, WA, I recklessly caused the death of my friend J.V. by handling a firearm in a dangerous manner,” Villalobos stated in his guilty plea. “The gun went off and killed him.”
According to documents, Villalobos was initially also charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, but as part of a felony plea agreement, the prosecutors dismissed that charge. Additionally, Villalobos had a drive-by shooting charge, a second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm charge, a possession of a stolen vehicle charge and a hit-and-run charge from unrelated cases that were also dismissed as part of the felony plea agreement.
According to documents, Villalobos’ offender score for the charge of first-degree manslaughter was zero, putting his sentencing range between 78 and 102 months, plus a mandatory 24-month weapon enhancement. As part of the felony plea agreement, prosecutors recommended that Villalobos receive a sentence of 78 months, plus the mandatory 24-month weapon enhancement, for a total sentence of 102 months — eight-and-a-half years. The maximum sentence Villalobos could receive is a 126-month sentence — 10-and-a-half years.
Villalobos’ sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 2, 2026.
Details of the case
According to charging documents, Valley Communications dispatch received a call at about 4:11 p.m. April 13 from a person stating they shot someone with a gun in the 600 block of Camas Avenue Northeast in Renton. Two officers arrived at the residence in the 600 block of Camas Avenue Northeast and contacted Villabolos at the front door.
Officers detained Villabolos and discovered J.V., unresponsive, lying atop a bed in a bedroom with a gunshot wound to his chest, according to documents. The officers started to provide aid to J.V., applying chest seals to the wound and turning him on his side when J.V. started to yell in pain and stated, “I’m gonna die.”
Officers identified and secured a black unbranded Glock firearm with no serial numbers sitting on a chair next to the desk in the bedroom, and noticed a spent bullet casing between the desk and the bed, according to documents.
According to documents, medics and Renton Regional Fire Authority personnel arrived at the scene and assisted in providing aid to J.V. prior to moving him to an ambulance for transport to Harborview Medical Center. Later that day, J.V. died as a result of his injuries, with an autopsy revealing that J.V. died as a result of a single gunshot wound to the chest.
Surveillance camera footage in the backyard of the residence captured audio of a gunshot noise at approximately 4:11 p.m., followed by a male voice, believed to be Villabolos, saying “no!” and repeating the victim’s name, before Villabolos called police 40 seconds after the initial gunshot.
According to documents, at the time of the incident, it was Villalobos’ second firearm-related allegation within the span of five months, as Villalobos was on electronic home detention for pending felony counts in juvenile court of drive-by shooting and unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree. Law enforcement identified Villabolos as the alleged shooter in a drive-by shooting in November 2023.
A court order imposed upon Villabolos after his charging and arraignment for the drive-by shooting included a condition not to have any contact with J.V.
