Murder suspect pleads guilty

COEUR d'ALENE - The Post Falls man who shot Timothy I. Williams (Wolfe) in downtown Coeur d'Alene last year pleaded guilty to second degree murder on Monday.

Juan Carlos Villanueva, 22, will be sentenced at 8 a.m. Friday, May 28, before 1st District Judge John Luster.

The plea vacates the three-week trial that was scheduled to begin later this spring, and came following a mediation meeting with state and defense attorneys.

"It provides certainty in regards to a guilty plea for a serious offense," said Barry McHugh, Kootenai County prosecuting attorney. "And it provides a punishment we're" comfortable with.

The agreement binds defense attorneys to recommend at least a 10-year fixed term during sentencing.

McHugh said the state would likely seek a 30-year fixed term.

Second degree murder is punishable by up to life in prison.

Villanueva, originally from Honduras, was charged with first degree murder after shooting Wolfe in the early morning hours of May 9 after an altercation inside Mik n Mac's bar in downtown Coeur d'Alene.

After arguing with Wolfe's friends inside the bar, Villanueva drove his girlfriend back to Post Falls before driving back to Coeur d'Alene with a loaded .25-caliber semi-automatic pistol under the passenger seat, where he eventually confronted Wolfe, 21, and his friends again on Third Street.

An altercation ensued, and Villanueva fired his gun from the driver's seat of his car before speeding away, killing Wolfe. Law enforcement agencies later arrested the shooter hiding in the bathroom of the restaurant where he worked.

Wolfe's family declined to comment on the plea agreement.

McHugh said the family was present during Monday's meeting, which was moderated by private attorney Peter Erbland, and that the state had discussed the possibilities with the family as negotiations went along.

"We always try to keep the interest of the victim's family in mind," McHugh said.