Yakima, WASHINGTON — In a press release on July 13, First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano announced Antonio Montellano, 44, was sentenced to more than 25 years in prison for the murder of a Yakama Nation man in January 2025.
According to the statement, before the sentencing, Montellano was already under federal supervision for his conviction of Importation of Cocaine and Methamphetamine in 2012 in the Southern District of California after serving an over 10-year prison sentence.
According to Serrano, in January 2025, while at the home of the victim, Montellano and the victim got into an argument. According to the US Attorney’s Office, at the time Montellano had been ingesting methamphetamine and had not slept for several days.
The office said that during the argument, Montellano picked up a shovel and struck the victim in the head and continued to strike him after he had fallen to the ground. After the murder, Montellano covered the victim’s body with a blanket, searched his home for surveillance cameras, took additional items, and fled.
Later that evening, according to the office, the victim’s family discovered his body.
According to the office, when the family found the victim’s body, they noticed his cell phone was missing. When the FBI called the victim’s phone, Montellano answered and provided a fake name and lied about how he came into possession of the phone.
With phone data and the help of several citizens, the officer says, the FBI identified Montellano as the primary suspect.
As the investigation progressed, the statement said the FBI learned that Montellano had fled to California and then crossed the border into Mexico.
Working with authorities in Mexico, the FBI helped deport Montellano back to the United States. On June 10, 2025, the Grand Jury returned an indictment charging the defendant with Second Degree Murder. After Montellano was returned to the United States from Mexico, he admitted to killing the victim.
On November 4, 2025, Montellano pled guilty to Second Degree Murder.
“Behind every senseless act of violence is a family member forever changed whose loss echoes far beyond the crime scene,” First Assistant Pete Serrrano said in the press release.
“Not only did Mr. Montellano violently and repeatedly attack this victim, but he also took steps to cover up the murder before fleeing the state and country,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office.
Following his prison sentence, the court said Montellano will be supervised for the first five years of his release.