HILLSBORO, Ore- On April 26, 2024, a Washington County jury found Enrique Tapia-Chavez, age 34, guilty of Murder in the Second Degree and Unlawful Use of a Weapon. Judge Janelle Wipper also found the defendant guilty of Felon in Possession of a Firearm. On May 2, 2024, the defendant was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years for the second-degree murder conviction and an additional 60 months in prison for the firearm. Those sentences will be served consecutively. Senior Deputy District Attorney Andrew Freeman and Deputy District Attorney Jason Ring prosecuted the case against the defendant.
In the early morning hours of July 11, 2022, the defendant drove his girlfriend’s car into a strip mall parking lot near SE 10th Avenue and SE Walnut Street in Hillsboro, Oregon. As he arrived, he saw the victim, Juan Moncivais, walking along Walnut Street and into the lot. After a minute of watching the victim, the defendant circled the lot and parked near him. Surveillance cameras captured the scene as the defendant immediately got out of the vehicle and started firing with a 9mm handgun. Though Mr. Moncivais turned and ran for his life, the defendant gave chase and shot him in the back multiple times. After the victim fell to the pavement the defendant shot him in the head a final time at close range before fleeing the scene.
Hillsboro police used that surveillance footage to identify the vehicle and the defendant as a potential suspect. Through many hours of work and the assistance of a large law enforcement team, investigators established corroborating details that confirmed the defendant was the killer, including cell phone location data that placed him at the murder scene.
In imposing consecutive sentences, Judge Wipper cited the defendant’s prior failures on supervision, his prior firearm conviction, and the brazen public nature of this murder.
The Washington County District Attorney’s Office wishes to acknowledge the investigative work of the Hillsboro Police Department on this case, particularly co-lead detectives Anthony Johnson and Devin Rigo and the Law Enforcement Analyst Unit.
Mr. Tapia-Chavez will be transferred to the Oregon Department of Corrections to begin serving his sentence.