by Amanda Bacon

In a dramatic conclusion to a harrowing case, Clallam County Superior Court Judge Simon Barnhart has handed down a 41-year prison sentence to Cipriano Ojeda-Ibarra of Clallam Bay. The sentencing comes in response to Ojeda-Ibarra’s guilty plea for charges including premeditated murder in the first degree, two counts of assault in the second degree, and possession of a stolen firearm.

The shocking events that led to this sentence unfolded on June 28, 2023, when tragedy struck the trailer of Charlotte Lopez, situated on the property of her mother and Ojeda-Ibarra, her stepfather since childhood. Lopez, along with her friends Cindy Smith and Walter Mantor, found themselves in a nightmare scenario when Ojeda-Ibarra arrived at the trailer and ordered Smith and Mantor to leave. As Lopez attempted to follow suit, Ojeda-Ibarra forcibly restrained her and brandished a stolen .357 revolver.

Witnessing the chilling scene, Smith and Mantor fled in terror, leaving Lopez at the mercy of Ojeda-Ibarra. Tragically, a gunshot rang out, and Lopez fell lifeless to the ground. The assailant then turned the weapon on Smith and Mantor, threatening them with a similar fate before they managed to escape and alert authorities.

In delivering the sentence, Judge Barnhart imposed base sentences of 360 months for murder in the first degree, 29 months for each count of assault in the second degree, and 20 months for possession of a stolen firearm. Additionally, enhancements of 60 months for being armed during the murder and 36 months for being armed during the assaults were applied. These enhancements will run consecutively to each other and to the base sentences.