TACOMA, WA – Today, William Alvarez Calo, 30, was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison for the murder of Jamie Diaz-Solis. Last month, Alvarez Calo was found guilty of murder in the first degree, burglary in the first degree and attempted robbery in the first degree.
"Our streets are safer with this defendant in prison,” said Prosecutor Mark Lindquist. “Good work on a big case by Deputy Prosecutors Maureen Goodman and Doug Hill.”
On November 12, 2012, police responded to a report of shots fired at the Greenwood Apartments in Lakewood. When officers arrived, they found the body of Jamie Diaz-Solis lying at the bottom of the stairs outside his apartment.
Police found almost 38 pounds of methamphetamine and heroin and $37,000.00 in cash in or around the crime scene.
Investigators learned that Diaz-Solis and his roommate, Juan Hidalgo-Mendoza, were part of a major Mexican drug cartel.
Hidalgo-Mendoza told police he was in his bedroom when he heard a male's voice and then heard a gunshot. He said he then jumped out of a window to avoid being shot. He returned to the apartment after the assailants had left and dragged out the body of Diaz-Solis.
In February, 2013, investigators contacted Alvarez Calo who confessed he had arranged for three men to kill Hidalgo-Mendoza. Apparently, Alvarez Calo thought he could climb the ladder of the distribution chain by arranging the murder of Hidalgo-Mendoza, a higher-up, and blaming the murder on another higher-up. The plan went awry when the wrong person, Mr. Diaz-Stolis, was shot and killed by Robinson.
In July, co-defendant Mazzar Robinson, 41, was found guilty of murder in the first degree, conspiracy to commit murder, burglary, attempted robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm. Co-defendant Michael Rowland, 32, was found guilty of murder in the first degree, burglary and attempted robbery.
For more information, please contact James Lynch at (253) 798-6265, [email protected].