A Pasco man has been sentenced to nearly 37 years in prison after a jury found he beat his victim so severely she suffered 14 broken bones, including 11 ribs and three bones in her lumbar spine. Heriberto Carrillo was also convicted of possessing methamphetamine with intent to deliver, and a jury determined he used a baseball bat during the assault.
According to Nonstop Local Tri-Cities/Yakima, the jury deliberated for about six and a half hours before returning its guilty verdict, per the Franklin County Prosecutor's Office. Jurors also returned special verdicts finding that Carrillo was armed with a deadly weapon during the attack, identified as a baseball bat. The assaults are reported to have occurred between May 22 and May 25, 2026.
Doctors and Nurses Described Severity of Injuries
Two doctors from out of state testified at trial about the injuries caused by the assaults, the outlet's report notes. Multiple nurses told the court this was the worst domestic violence assault they had seen in their careers, according to the prosecutor's office. Those accounts, combined with the extent of the victim's injuries — 14 broken bones spanning her ribs and lower spine — formed a central part of the case presented to jurors.
Carrillo was also convicted of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver. Authorities found 100 grams of methamphetamine, a scale and more than $600 in cash on him at the time of his arrest, per the same report from the prosecutor's office.
Nine-Day Trial Preceded Sentencing
The convictions followed a nine-day trial held in September, as reported by Yahoo News, which found Carrillo guilty of first-degree assault along with the drug charge. Yahoo's report states that prosecutors had sought a sentence of 33 and a half years, but Judge David Petersen added another three years, bringing the total to nearly 37 years in prison.
Carrillo's case is not his first brush with the legal system tied to domestic violence allegations. He was sentenced in April 2025 for preventing his then-girlfriend from leaving a locked garage in February 2024, according to the Tri-City Herald. The newspaper also reported that he was previously convicted of violating a protection order in Benton County in April 2020.
Special Verdict Requirement Under State Law
Washington law outlines how juries handle deadly-weapon allegations in criminal trials. Under RCW 9.94A.825, when a case includes a special allegation and evidence that a defendant or an accomplice was armed with a deadly weapon, the jury trial must include a special verdict on whether that weapon allegation is true. That statutory framework is reflected in the special verdict jurors returned finding Carrillo armed with the bat during the assault.
