2 men sentenced for violent Yakima home invasion

YAKIMA – Two men have been sentenced for their roles in a violent 2014 home-invasion robbery in Yakima.

The Yakima Herald-Republic reported 51-year-old Richard Vasquez was sentenced Friday to seven life sentences without the possibility of parole.

In July, Vasquez was found guilty of burglary, robbery, kidnapping, assault and unlawful firearms possession. Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Troy Clements said Vasquez had prior convictions making him subject to the state’s “three strikes law” and the lengthy sentence.

His accomplice, Samuel Crafton-Jones, was sentenced to 20 years in prison as part of a plea deal after he pleaded guilty to similar charges.

Prosecutors said the men forced their way into a home Oct. 1, 2014, and demanded a couple give them gold and other valuables.

Prosecutors said a woman was pistol-whipped and punched when she ran from the home and that she suffered broken bones in her face.