Sentencing for men convicted in Yakama Reservation mass killing moved to October

Sentencing for two men convicted in the 2019 mass killing on the Yakama Reservation has been moved to Oct. 12.

James Dean Cloud and Donovan Quinn Carter Cloud, who were accused of a shooting spree that left five dead at a Medicine Valley trailer just west of White Swan on June 8, 2019, had been scheduled for sentencing in U.S. District Court on Tuesday. Court filing didn’t indicate why the sentencing had been rescheduled, the Yakima Herald reported.

Killed were John Cagle, 59; Michelle Starnes, 51; Catherine Eneas, 49; Thomas Hernandez, 36; and Dennis Overaker, 61.

A jury convicted James Dean Cloud in March on four counts of first-degree murder, kidnapping, carjacking, assault and brandishing a firearm.

In a plea agreement hours later, Donovan Quinn Carter Cloud pleaded guilty to carjacking and brandishing a firearm. His plea agreement shields him from the murder charges.

The trial was moved to U.S. District Court in Spokane because of extensive local media coverage of the killings.

After James Cloud was convicted, his defense team argued prosecutors failed to prove premeditated murder and sought a partial acquittal and a new trial. Both motions were denied earlier this month.

James Cloud will be sentenced at 2 p.m. in Yakima with Donovan Cloud’s sentencing following.

James Cloud is facing a potential life sentence while Donovan Cloud facing 22 to 27 years in prison.