Wash. man sentenced to life for killing missing ex-girlfriend and her 7-year-old daughter

VANCOUVER, Wash. (TCN) -- A 28-year-old man will spend the rest of his life behind bars for sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend’s 7-year-old daughter, fatally shooting the girl and her mother, and leaving their bodies in the woods.

KOIN-TV reports a judge sentenced Kirkland Warren to life in prison after he pleaded guilty last month to first-degree aggravated murder, second-degree murder, and child molestation in connection with the deaths of Meshay Melendez, 27, and her daughter, Layla Stewart. The Oregonian/Oregon Live reports Warren will also plead guilty to killing a 57-year-old man in Arkansas and leaving his body in a ditch in 2017.

On March 18, 2023, Melendez’s family contacted the Vancouver Police Department and said they had not heard from her since March 11. Investigators learned that on March 12, 2023, at around 5 a.m., Melendez, Stewart, and Warren went to an acquaintance’s house. Stewart stayed behind while Melendez and Warren left the residence. They came back at around 8 a.m. that day, and the acquaintance reportedly saw Melendez "passed out" in the car. Warren got Stewart, put her in the car, and left.

Vancouver Police said they executed a search warrant at Warren’s house on March 19, 2023, and found two cellphones, as well as blood in the car, children’s clothing that matched what Stewart was wearing, shell casings, and Melendez’s purse. Police initially arrested him for tampering with a witness, violation of domestic violence orders, and other charges. Melendez reportedly had a protective order against him.

Several days later, on March 22, 2023, a passerby called the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and said they found two bodies in a rural area near Washougal. The bodies were positively identified as Melendez and Stewart. The medical examiner conducted an autopsy and determined both victims died from gunshot wounds to the head. Stewart was reportedly shot twice, and Melendez once.

KOIN reports Stewart was naked from the waist down, and a test showed she had been sexually assaulted.

According to The Oregonian/Oregon Live, Melendez’s sister, Nichole Harris, said at the sentencing hearing, "Meshay and Layla may not have been anything to that evil man, but they were everything to me. Meshay once said to me, 'I don’t know how I got blessed with such an amazing daughter,' and I reminded her that it was because she was such a beautiful soul."

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