MESHAY MELENDEZ & LAYLA STEWART: Washington vs. Kirkland Warren for 2023 murder of mother and daughter *GUILTY PLEA*

‘Criminal nexus’ likely in disappearance of Vancouver mom, daughter

Vancouver police investigators said they “do believe there is a criminal nexus to Meshay and Layla’s disappearance” but can’t provide any more details due to the ongoing investiga…

www.koin.com

by: Hailey Dunn
Posted: Mar 20, 2023 / 11:11 AM PDT
Updated: Mar 20, 2023 / 11:16 AM PDT

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN)– Officials are asking for the public’s help finding a mother and her 8-year-old daughter who were reported missing earlier this month.

According to Vancouver police, 27-year-old Meshay Melendez and her daughter Layla Stewart were last seen in the area of Vancouver Mall Drive and Northeast 77th Avenue on the morning of March 12. Melendez’s vehicle was discovered nearby on March 19.

Melendez is described as being 5’9” and having black hair and brown eyes. Stewart is said to be 4′ with brown hair and hazel eyes.

Anyone with information on the pair’s whereabouts is asked to contact Detective Givens robert.givens@cityofvancouver.us, Detective Nolan chadd.nolan@cityofvancouver.us or call 911.

MEDIA - MESHAY MELENDEZ AND LAYLA STEWART: Missing from Vancouver, WA - 12 March 2023 - Age 27 and 8

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Deaths of woman, girl raise issues over boyfriend's release

A passerby discovered the bodies of a missing Washington state woman and her 7-year-old daughter down a road embankment

abcnews.go.com

By GENE JOHNSON Associated Press
March 24, 2023, 2:04 AM

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Details/history of the Kirkland Warren arrests, bail, release, etc. at link. ~Summer

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

‘Person of interest’ now named in death of Vancouver mom, daughter

A man previously named as a “person of interest” in the disappearances of a missing Vancouver mother and daughter was also named a “person of interest” in the pair’s homicides on Friday, according …

www.koin.com

‘Person of interest’ now named in death of Vancouver mom, daughter​

A man previously named as a “person of interest” in the disappearances of a missing Vancouver mother and daughter has also been named as a “person of interest” in the pair’s homicides, according to the Vancouver Police Department.

As of Friday evening, Warren is not facing any charges for their disappearance or death.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Vancouver community comes together for vigil to honor Meshay Melendez and Layla Stewart

The Vancouver community came together for a vigil on Sunday, honoring the lives of Meshay Melendez and Layla Stewart.CONTINUING COVERAGE | Meshay Melendez and L

nbc16.com

Vancouver community comes together for vigil to honor Meshay Melendez and Layla Stewart
The Vancouver community came together for a vigil on Sunday, honoring the lives of Meshay Melendez and Layla Stewart.
During the vigil, people shed tears and left behind flowers for Melendez and Stewart. Loved ones also shared what they'll miss the most.

"Meshay’s laugh and her non-judgement. She was my best friend. Just her in general she was my best friend, I don’t know," Makayla Jeter said.

Jeter said Meshay was a voice of reason.

"She used to always tell me to calm down, I was the crazy friend. She used to always tell me “be calm, best friend, let it go best friend," Jeter said.

The event was also used to advocate for change.

"Their lives were cut short, and it was cut short because of some gaps that happened in the system and I think that we as a community want to make sure that our loved ones are being protected," Brittini Lasseigne said.

Jeter said Melendez's legacy will live on.

"How genuine of a person she was. This is truly sickening. This is wild to me. I never would have thought it would have been Meshay. I don’t understand, he should have been on an ankle bracelet. Period," she said.

Police tell KATU they're continuing to collect evidence in this investigation.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Ex-boyfriend accused in murder of Vancouver mother, daughter

An arrest has been made in the death of a missing mother and daughter who were found in an embankment in Washougal on March 22, according to Vancouver police.

www.koin.com

Ex-boyfriend accused in murder of Vancouver mother, daughter​

An arrest has been made in the death of a missing mother and daughter who were found in an embankment in Washougal on March 22, according to Vancouver police.

Kirkland C. Warren was charged with two counts of first-degree murder on Friday in connection with the shooting deaths of 27-year-old Meshay Melendez and her 7-year-old daughter Layla Stewart earlier this month, authorities say.


During a search through Warren’s Charger, police say they found “blood evidence in both the front and back seat of the vehicle, .22 shell casings, children’s clothing matching clothing Layla was believed to be wearing on March 12 and a purse containing Melendez’s identification.”

In a search of the second vehicle, a Hyundai Palisade, investigators say they found a .22 pistol in the center console.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Domestic violence calls for help spike after Meshay’s murder

Following the brutal murders of a Vancouver mother and her 7-year-old daughter in an apparent domestic violence incident, organizations in the Portland metro area said they are seeing a spike in ca…

www.koin.com

Domestic violence calls for help spike after Meshay’s murder​

Following the brutal murders of a Vancouver mother and her 7-year-old daughter in an apparent domestic violence incident, organizations in the Portland metro area said they are seeing a spike in calls for help.

The CEO of the Clark County YWCA, Brittini Lasseigne, told KOIN 6 News they’ve had a recent spike in people reaching out for assistance, which tends to happen after a widely publicized local domestic violence incident.

“They start to evaluate the situation they’re living, find a way to escape that situation they’re experiencing,” Lasseigne said.

The Beaverton Domestic Violence Resource Center also said they’ve had a recent increase in calls to their crisis line.

“There has definitely been an increase in calls to our crisis line and our advocates have also provided more safety plans and referrals for legal, counseling, shelter, client assistance funds including short term hotel stays as well as employment resources for survivors of domestic violence,” said Geeta Paul, the Director of Advocacy & Empowerment Program for the Domestic Violence Resource Center.


Statistics provided by the Vancouver Police Department show domestic violence cases are up 10% year-to-date.

Resources​

• YWCA’s 24-hr SafeChoice Domestic and Sexual Violence hotline: 1.800.695.0167
• National 24-hr Domestic Violence Hotline: 1.800.799.7233
• Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence Friends & Family Guide Call to Safety Crisis Line (Portland survivor support): 1.888.235.5333

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Kirkland Warren pleads not guilty in murders of Meshay Melendez, Layla Stewart

The man accused of killing a Vancouver mother and her 7-year-old daughter pleaded not guilty at an arraignment hearing on Monday.

www.koin.com

Kirkland Warren pleads not guilty in murders of Meshay Melendez, Layla Stewart​

The man accused of killing a Vancouver mother and her 7-year-old daughter pleaded not guilty at an arraignment hearing on Monday.

Kirkland Warren was formally charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Meshay Melendez and Layla Stewart, whose bodies were found in a Washougal ditch. Prosecutors say Warren shot both Melendez and Stewart in the head.

“We know he is guilty, there is no shadow of a doubt in any of the family’s mind,” said Michelle Bart, a spokesperson for the victims’ family from the National Women’s Coalition Against Violence & Exploitation.

Warren is being held in jail without bail. His next court date is scheduled for May 23.

 

[Mel70]

Alot of good the high bail does now. IT'S TOO LATE!!! THEY NEVER LEARN! And they are never held accountable for their completely moronic decisions to let these scumbags free. With a record of violence. Just WTF?! Just 2 more victims. Yeah so what.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Alot of good the high bail does now. IT'S TOO LATE!!! THEY NEVER LEARN! And they are never held accountable for their completely moronic decisions to let these scumbags free. With a record of violence. Just WTF?! Just 2 more victims. Yeah so what.

Everything LE does or if they do anything or if they can do anything is after the fact. That's with anything.

BUT violence against children, domestic violence, child abuse, child molestation and RESTRAINING orders ARE a joke. These things are beyond need of a different system.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

New charges filed against double murder suspect Kirkland Warren

The man charged in the March slayings of Vancouver mother and daughter Meshay “Karmen” Melendez and Layla Stewart was back in court Tuesday morning to face additional charges in a prior domestic viole

www.columbian.com

By Jessica Prokop, Columbian Assistant Metro Editor
Published: May 9, 2023, 1:53pm
Updated: May 9, 2023, 2:48pm
The man charged in the March slayings of Vancouver mother and daughter Meshay “Karmen” Melendez and Layla Stewart was back in court Tuesday morning to face additional charges in a prior domestic violence case.

Kirkland C. Warren, 27, entered not-guilty pleas in Clark County Superior Court to two counts of violating a protection order, one count of tampering with a witness and one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, all charged as domestic violence crimes.

The new charges are tied to a drive-by shooting case, in which Warren is accused of shooting at Melendez’s apartment in the Minnehaha area in December.

He had previously pleaded not guilty to drive-by shooting, second-degree assault with a deadly weapon, gross misdemeanor harassment with bodily injury and two counts of fourth-degree assault, all charged as domestic violence crimes, as well as false swearing, for allegedly lying on a gun application.

<snip>
Both cases are scheduled for trial in June. He remains in custody.

<snip>
According to a supplemental probable cause affidavit, Warren contacted Melendez less than two hours after he appeared March 3 in Superior Court in the drive-by shooting case. He called her twice from the Clark County Jail, and they spoke for nearly a half-hour. At the end of one of those calls, he told her, “I’ll try to hit you up some way possible. I guess it is what it is, then.”

An officer who monitored the calls noted Warren suggested Melendez was responsible for his arrest and needed to get his charges dropped. Melendez could be heard saying she was trying to get the charges to go away. Warren also suggested she wasn’t working hard enough to contact lawyers, and he made statements that his “life is over,” according to the affidavit.

Warren could also be heard in the jail calls with Melendez and his wife expressing concern over the possibility his bond would be revoked in Arkansas, where he has a pending case for a 2017 homicide. He told Melendez he was not going back to Arkansas, the affidavit states.

 

[GrandmaBear]

New charges filed against double murder suspect Kirkland Warren

The man charged in the March slayings of Vancouver mother and daughter Meshay “Karmen” Melendez and Layla Stewart was back in court Tuesday morning to face additional charges in a prior domestic viole

www.columbian.com

By Jessica Prokop, Columbian Assistant Metro Editor
Published: May 9, 2023, 1:53pm
Updated: May 9, 2023, 2:48pm
The man charged in the March slayings of Vancouver mother and daughter Meshay “Karmen” Melendez and Layla Stewart was back in court Tuesday morning to face additional charges in a prior domestic violence case.

Kirkland C. Warren, 27, entered not-guilty pleas in Clark County Superior Court to two counts of violating a protection order, one count of tampering with a witness and one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, all charged as domestic violence crimes.

The new charges are tied to a drive-by shooting case, in which Warren is accused of shooting at Melendez’s apartment in the Minnehaha area in December.

He had previously pleaded not guilty to drive-by shooting, second-degree assault with a deadly weapon, gross misdemeanor harassment with bodily injury and two counts of fourth-degree assault, all charged as domestic violence crimes, as well as false swearing, for allegedly lying on a gun application.

<snip>
Both cases are scheduled for trial in June. He remains in custody.

<snip>
According to a supplemental probable cause affidavit, Warren contacted Melendez less than two hours after he appeared March 3 in Superior Court in the drive-by shooting case. He called her twice from the Clark County Jail, and they spoke for nearly a half-hour. At the end of one of those calls, he told her, “I’ll try to hit you up some way possible. I guess it is what it is, then.”

An officer who monitored the calls noted Warren suggested Melendez was responsible for his arrest and needed to get his charges dropped. Melendez could be heard saying she was trying to get the charges to go away. Warren also suggested she wasn’t working hard enough to contact lawyers, and he made statements that his “life is over,” according to the affidavit.

Warren could also be heard in the jail calls with Melendez and his wife expressing concern over the possibility his bond would be revoked in Arkansas, where he has a pending case for a 2017 homicide. He told Melendez he was not going back to Arkansas, the affidavit states.

You know while all think DV is a separate thing (and it is in its way) and should have its own title (and it should in a way), it is also a way of NOT making it as serious when courts charge such crimes as is said repeatedly in this article as a DV crime. In most areas/cases that is looked on as not as serious but an ASSAULT is an ASSAULT, unlawful possession of a firearm is just that, what makes it DV?? So is tampering with a witness a crime of tampering with a witness!!

They are often pled down in many areas, a DV incident, to disorderly conduct and this keeps the books clear and crime stats of serious crimes low.

They've got him calling her from jail trying to make her get the charges dropped!!! He should NOT have been able to even DO THAT!

 

[Summer_Breeze]

The Tiffany Hill Act and domestic violence prevention

This week's episode of Straight Talk focuses on the Tiffany Hill Act and other legal tools to protect victims of domestic violence.

www.kgw.com

Author: KGW Staff
Published: 1:55 PM PDT May 12, 2023
Updated: 1:55 PM PDT May 12, 2023

PORTLAND, Ore. — The murders of mother Meshay Melendez her 7-year-old daughter Layla Stewart in March led to an outpouring of grief in the Vancouver community, along with anger and questions about whether more could have been done to protect them.

Melendez' ex-boyfriend Kirkland Warren was arrested and charged with the murders. He had previously been ordered not to contact Melendez following a domestic violence arrest in December, but he was released from jail after that incident without electronic monitoring.

That omission has been met with increased scrutiny due to the passage of the Tiffany Hill Act in 2020, which is supposed to make electronic monitoring an option to help protect domestic violence victims.

This week's episode of Straight Talk discusses the Tiffany Hill law, why it might not have been used in the case of Meshay and Layla, and what actions can help prevent future domestic violence.

Straight Talk airs Friday at 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday at 6:30 p.m.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Trial for man accused of killing Vancouver mother, daughter set for September

The man accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend and her 7-year-old daughter is set to go on trial in September.Kirkland Warren was in Clark County court Thursday

katu.com

Trial for man accused of killing Vancouver mother, daughter set for September
The man accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend and her 7-year-old daughter is set to go on trial in September.

Warren is set to be back in court in August and right before the trial.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Trial for Vancouver murder suspect could be delayed

A man accused of killing a Vancouver mother and her 7-year-old daughter was back in court Tuesday.Kirkland Warren is charged with first-degree murder.Police say

katu.com

Trial for Vancouver murder suspect could be delayed
A man accused of killing a Vancouver mother and her 7-year-old daughter was back in court Tuesday.

Kirkland Warren is charged with first-degree murder.

Police say he killed his former girlfriend, Meshay Melendez, and her daughter, Layla Stewart, in March.

Warren’s trial is currently scheduled to begin in just over a month, but at a status hearing Tuesday, it seemed likely that trial date could be pushed back.

"We do not have a medical examiner's report back. We have, there's DNA on the firearm used in this case that we need to have DNA tested," a prosecutor said. "So, there's very little likelihood that we'll have all the evidence ready for Sept. 11."

Another hearing on this is scheduled this Thursday.

 

[Mel70]

Trial for Vancouver murder suspect could be delayed

A man accused of killing a Vancouver mother and her 7-year-old daughter was back in court Tuesday.Kirkland Warren is charged with first-degree murder.Police say

katu.com

Trial for Vancouver murder suspect could be delayed
A man accused of killing a Vancouver mother and her 7-year-old daughter was back in court Tuesday.

Kirkland Warren is charged with first-degree murder.

Police say he killed his former girlfriend, Meshay Melendez, and her daughter, Layla Stewart, in March.

Warren’s trial is currently scheduled to begin in just over a month, but at a status hearing Tuesday, it seemed likely that trial date could be pushed back.

"We do not have a medical examiner's report back. We have, there's DNA on the firearm used in this case that we need to have DNA tested," a prosecutor said. "So, there's very little likelihood that we'll have all the evidence ready for Sept. 11."

Another hearing on this is scheduled this Thursday.

Are there any cases being tried in a timely manner?. All I see is court dates pushed back. It's gone past ridiculous. They will eventually die of old age.

 

[GrandmaBear]

Are there any cases being tried in a timely manner?. All I see is court dates pushed back. It's gone past ridiculous. They will eventually die of old age.

No. I pretty much think none are. Even the ones with speedy trial demands aren't speedy. It's a big joke. And not a funny one.

 

[Summer_Breeze]

Kirkland Warren, suspect in death of Meshay Melendez and Layla Stewart, facing new allegation of child rape

The man accused of killing Vancouver mother and daughter, Meshay Melendez and Layla Stewart, appeared Friday in court on a new allegation of first-degree rape of a child involving the 7-year-old.

www.columbian.com

By Becca Robbins, Columbian staff reporter
Published: October 20, 2023, 11:59am
Updated: October 20, 2023, 5:42pm
The man accused of killing Vancouver mother and daughter, Meshay Melendez and Layla Stewart, appeared Friday in court on a new allegation of first-degree rape of a child involving the 7-year-old.

Kirkland C. Warren, 28, of Vancouver, has already pleaded not guilty in Clark County Superior Court to two counts of aggravated first-degree murder and one count of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. He also pleaded not guilty to a slew of domestic violence charges in another case with Melendez, 27, as the listed victim.

He is being held without bail, and his trial is scheduled for Jan. 8. His next hearing is set for Oct. 26 to add the new charge to the murder case.

 

[GrandmaBear]

OMG. Can we see him fried please? Sorry but some perps just shouldn't be breathing air.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Kirkland Warren, already facing murder charges, pleads not guilty to rape of a child

The man accused of killing Vancouver mother and daughter, Meshay Melendez and Layla Stewart, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a charge of first-degree rape of a child involving the 7-year-old.

www.columbian.com

Kirkland Warren, already facing murder charges, pleads not guilty to rape of a child​

The man accused of killing Vancouver mother and daughter, Meshay Melendez and Layla Stewart, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a charge of first-degree rape of a child involving the 7-year-old.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

After 18 months, Murder case against Kirkland Warren ready to go to trial in killings of Meshay Melendez, her daughter

A judge on Friday said the case against the man accused of killing a Vancouver mother and her 7-year-old daughter is ready to begin trial Sept. 9.

www.columbian.com

After 18 months, Murder case against Kirkland Warren ready to go to trial in killings of Meshay Melendez, her daughter​

A judge on Friday said the case against the man accused of killing a Vancouver mother and her 7-year-old daughter is ready to begin trial Sept. 9.

Kirkland Warren, 28, is accused of fatally shooting Meshay Melendez, his former girlfriend, and her daughter, Layla Stewart, sometime between March 12 and 15, 2023.

He is charged in Clark County Superior Court with two counts of first-degree aggravated murder, one count of first-degree rape of a child, two counts of second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and a slew of domestic violence charges with Melendez, 27, as the listed victim.

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Toby Krauel said Friday he expects the trial will last two weeks and could go into a third week. He has also filed a motion to amend the charges against Warren, mostly consolidating or reducing some of the lesser charges, court records show.


Melendez’s mother, Nichole Norris, told The Columbian she was not looking forward to the trial and the details of her daughter and granddaughter’s deaths being shown in the courtroom.

“I don’t want my girls’ bodies put on display,” Norris said in a June interview. “He already took their lives, did what he did to them, made them suffer and humiliated them by dumping them the way he did. I can tell you right now, when we go to trial and those things are shown, I can’t be in the room to see.”

If convicted, she hopes Warren spends the rest of his life in prison, she said.

She also called attention to how the judicial system failed Melendez and her daughter, in hopes of protecting other women.

“I understand that they were murdered and certain things happened to them, but I feel like everybody wants to talk about, like the gruesome murders, but not, how did we get here?” Norris said. “People are dying every day. I’m not acting like the girls are the only ones that’ve been through this. This is happening everywhere. But if things aren’t done, how are we supposed to save certain people? Some people can be saved.”

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Days before trial, Kirkland Warren pleads guilty to murders of Meshay Melendez and Layla Stewart

In an eleventh-hour decision, the man who fatally shot a Vancouver mother and her 7-year-old daughter and dumped their bodies along a rural road in Washougal pleaded guilty Thursday in their murders.

www.columbian.com

Days before trial, Kirkland Warren pleads guilty to murders of Meshay Melendez and Layla Stewart​

In an eleventh-hour decision, the man who fatally shot a Vancouver mother and her 7-year-old daughter and dumped their bodies along a rural road near Washougal pleaded guilty Thursday in their murders.

Kirkland Warren’s trial was scheduled to begin Monday in Clark County Superior Court. Instead, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and aggravated first-degree murder in the deaths of his former girlfriend, 27-year-old Meshay Melendez, and her 7-year-old daughter, Layla Stewart, respectively. The mother and daughter were killed between March 12 and 13, 2023. Warren also entered an Alford plea to first-degree child molestation — which allows a defendant to maintain his innocence but admit there’s enough evidence to convict him — for sexually assaulting Layla.

Aggravated murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Warren will be sentenced Oct. 8.