Clark County prosecutors say they plan to charge a Vancouver man accused in the slaying of his former girlfriend and her 7-year-old daughter with aggravated first-degree murder. If convicted, he would be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Kirkland C. Warren, 27, appeared Monday in Superior Court on suspicion of two counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of Meshay “Karmen” Melendez, 27, and Layla Stewart.
The Vancouver mother and daughter were last seen the morning of March 12 with Warren, who had been barred by court order from having contact with Melendez, according to investigators. Melendez’s mother reported the pair missing March 18 after she couldn’t reach them for their regular video chat session. Authorities found their bodies March 22 in a rural area east of Washougal.
The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office determined both died from gunshot wounds to the head. Their deaths were ruled homicides, meaning they resulted from another person’s deliberate action. The rulings do not make any judgments about criminal culpability.