Joshawa Max Estrada has been sentenced to 100 months in federal prison for his involvement as an accessory after the fact in the murder of Jedidah Iesha Moreno. The sentencing was announced by Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker and delivered by Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian.
Court documents revealed that Jedidah Iesha Moreno had shot Rosenda Strong on October 5, 2018, at a residence known as the House of Souls in Wapato, Washington. Moreno sought assistance to dispose of Strong's body, which was subsequently hidden in a freezer and discarded near Toppenish, Washington.
On October 6, 2018, Moreno engaged in another altercation with Andrew Norris Zack at Estrada Ranch in Wapato, where she fired multiple shots into a garage bathroom, injuring Zack's hand. Concurrently, Uriel Balentin Badillo received news of Zack's predicament while at Legends Casino and proceeded to the location where he encountered Moreno.
Badillo transported Moreno back to the House of Souls before taking her to Estrada Ranch. There, Moreno was restrained and placed into a car trunk by Badillo who then fired several shots into it. Later that day, two juveniles moved Moreno’s body to another location on the Yakama Nation territory and further shots were fired into her body.
Estrada learned about these events from conversations with Badillo and others involved. At Badillo's request, Estrada relocated Moreno’s body to a more secluded area near White Swan, Washington, removing a cargo strap from her body that could potentially link Badillo through DNA or fingerprints.
Moreno’s remains were discovered by a citizen on November 28, 2018. Acting U.S. Attorney Barker expressed gratitude towards eyewitnesses aiding the investigation conducted by the FBI and Yakama Nation Tribal Police: “The families in the Rosenda Strong and Jedidah Iesha Moreno cases have waited years to obtain some measure of justice on behalf of their loved ones.”
W. Mike Herrington from the FBI’s Seattle field office commented on the accountability achieved through this sentence: “Mr. Estrada is yet another defendant to be held accountable in this tragic case.” He acknowledged that while sentences can provide closure for families affected by violent crimes on state reservations, they cannot restore lost lives.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with help from the Yakama Nation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Thomas J. Hanlon and Michael D. Murphy.
Several other defendants connected to this case have pleaded guilty including Andrew Norris Zack, Jamaal Antwan Pimms, Kevin Todd Brehm, Uriel Balentin Badillo, and Michael Lee Moody—the latter receiving an 87-month federal prison sentence.