The man charged with murder in the January 2009 Chop Suey shootings has pleaded guilty, the King County Prosecutor’s office announced Thursday:
Carlos R. Bernardez pleaded guilty this morning to first degree murder with a firearm enhancement for the January 2009 shooting death of hip-hop performer Joseph Ryan at the Chop Suey nightclub in Seattle. Bernardez, 20, also pleaded guilty to two counts of second degree assault for wounding two others during the shooting. Sentencing is scheduled for August 13 at 2:45 p.m. before King County Superior Court Judge Timothy Bradshaw at the King County Courthouse, courtroom W-719. The sentence range is 28 to 36 years in prison. Prosecutors will recommend a 30-year sentence.
Following Bernardez’s arrest, police documents indicated that the incident was sparked by a dispute between a man Bernardez said he met the night of the show and one of the two victims who survived the shooting. Ryan, who performed as 29-E, was apparently not the target. Bernardez claimed the man he met, Roger La Branche, recruited him to help in the shooting and that La Branche threatened to shoot Bernardez if he did not comply. La Branche was charged with drug possession but was not charged in the shootings.
The slaying was one of two murders on the Hill in 2009.
THIS IS MY FIRST TIME ACTUALLY LOOKING AT EVERY NEWS LETTER AND SEEING WHAT OTHERS HAD TO SAY. WHAT I DON’T UNDERSTAND IS IF A DISPUTE WAS GOING ON BETWEEN LA BRANCHE AND ONE OF THE 2 VICTIMS THAT SURVIVED WHAT WAS BERNARDEZ’S MOTIVE TO OPEN FIRE? I SPEAK WITH MR BERNARDEZ EVERYDAY AND I KNOW THAT HE DIDN’T COMMIT THIS CRIME ALONE. HE JUST DIDN’T GIVE THE POLICE THE OPPROTUNITY TO CATCH THE OTHER PERSON. KNOWING MR BERNARDEZ I DONT’T SEE THE REASON FOR HIM TO OPEN FIRE ON PEOPLE HE DIDN’T KNOW IT’S JUS NOT HIM. I UNDERSTAND THAT A LIFE WAS TAKEN BUT 30 YEARS FOR SOMEONE THAT DOESNT HAVE ANY PRIORS IS WAY OVER BOARD.
I met Joe through my husband back when we were dating…we actually went down to Everett and had a chance to spend Christmas with him not even a week before the shooting. You question the shooter’s motive…you think 30 years in prison is going overboard…our friend is dead…30 years isn’t enough.