HILLSBORO, Ore- On September 3, 2024, Sain Delgado Venegas pleaded guilty to murder in the second degree with a firearm and two counts of attempted murder in the first degree with a firearm. In a separate case, the defendant pleaded guilty to possession of a weapon by an inmate.  The defendant was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years. This life sentence will run consecutive to an additional eight-year prison sentence imposed in the possession of a weapon case. Senior Deputy District Attorney John Gerhard and Deputy District Attorney Joel Petersen prosecuted this case.

On April 1, 2023, the defendant entered Kim's Red Rose, a restaurant and bar in Hillsboro, Oregon, with three associates. A bartender asked to see their identification to confirm they were of legal drinking age. The men refused and were asked to leave the establishment. 

About an hour later, the group returned to the restaurant and sat in a different section. The same bartender spotted them again and alerted the manager, Isaura Soto-Gaona. The bartender and manager asked the group to leave once again. Three of the men exited the building but the defendant lingered near the doorway entry area. He then pulled a handgun and attempted to discharge it twice in the direction of the bartender and manager. The gun malfunctioned and did not fire. The defendant then racked the slide and fired a round directly at Ms. Soto-Gaona. The round struck her in the chest, and she died as a result of the gunshot wound despite lifesaving efforts performed by restaurant staff and responding officers. Surveillance cameras captured the incident. 

Hillsboro police later learned the defendant had recently been released from prison and met with his parole officer weeks prior to this shooting. Investigators reviewed surveillance footage captured by courthouse security cameras in which the defendant is seen wearing the same distinctive sweatshirt as he was the night of the shooting. 

While he was lodged in the Washington County Jail awaiting trial for murder, jail deputies found a makeshift weapon hidden in the defendant’s jail cell during a routine contraband search.

The Washington County District Attorney’s Office wishes to extend condolences to the victim’s family and restaurant staff. This office also acknowledges the work of the Hillsboro Police Department on this case. 

The defendant will be transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence.