A Kelso man has been sentenced to three decades in prison for the 2024 murder of Cody Tamayo.

Eligha Buckner-Lopez was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to first-degree murder in Cowlitz County Superior Court.

According to the Cowlitz County Prosecutor’s Office, the shooting occurred on August 13, 2024, near the Boondox Gas and Grocery on Cowlitz Way in Kelso. Investigators used surveillance video to determine that Tamayo was driving a pickup truck when a Chrysler 300 pulled alongside him. As the vehicles traveled through an intersection, Buckner-Lopez fired two shots from the passenger seat, striking Tamayo in the head and killing him.

Authorities say Buckner-Lopez and the driver of the Chrysler, Conner Aguayo, fled to Rainier, where they were later arrested after attempting to hide in portable toilets.

As part of a plea agreement, Buckner-Lopez received a 30-year prison sentence, which was above the standard sentencing range.