Murder victim's mom speaks out about possible plea deal for Granite Falls quarry shooting suspect
Concern over possible plea deal in Granite Falls murder
The man accused of killing Jordan Hurtado at a quarry in Granite Falls in August of 2022 could enter a guilty plea in Snohomish County court early next week.
GRANITE FALLS, Wash. - The man accused of killing Jordan Hurtado at a quarry in Granite Falls in August 2022 could enter a guilty plea in Snohomish County Court early next week.
The backstory:
According to court documents, Finley Hilde told investigators he didn't know Hurtado, but after a confrontation at a weigh station at the quarry, he claimed he heard god give him permission to shoot him.
Investigators say Hilde was also charged with killing a man in Burlington the day before Hurtado was shot and killed.
Hurtado's mom, pictured below with her son, says she's frustrated that Hilde could serve less time for the crime if a plea deal moves forward. She says there hasn't been a lot of information released about why her son was killed, and she continues to grieve every day.
"I miss him, I miss him so much," said Stephanie Keithahn, Jordan Hurtado's mom.
She describes her relationship with her son as "best friends", adding that the 27-year-old was always there for her. The recent snowfall also brought back fond memories of his love for winter sports.
"Right now in the snow, he would be snowboarding. He would be out there. He's just amazing," she said.
Investigators say Hurtado was working at the Iron Mountain Quarry in Granite Falls when he was shot and killed by Finley Hilde on August 20, 2022.
Stephanie says he'd gone in on his day off to help with a welding project.
"It hurts me every day," she said.
'My son did not deserve to die that way'; Victim's mom calls for justice after Granite Falls quarry shooting
The man accused of killing 27-year-old Jordan Hurtado at a quarry in Granite Falls made an appearance in Snohomish County Court Monday.
Court documents state that security video showed Hilde driving a work dump truck to the weigh station at the quarry that day, where he began, "talking to (a woman) who was working as the station operator."
She told deputies that Hurtado, "told him to say what type of rock he had on his truck so that he could go."
Hilde was then seen on security video pulling off the scale and into the gravel lot before getting out of the truck and approaching Hurtado.
The female employee, "told officers the two had been arguing and that Mr. Hurtado told her to go back inside and call for another employee."
While she did that, the two reportedly went behind a pillar for a few seconds, "then the video shows Mr. Hurtado falling to the ground."
Law enforcement arrested Hilde after he drove away in the truck.
"They found the weapons in his vehicle," said Stephanie.
Court documents say Hilde told investigators that he, "did not know Mr. Hurtado" and "Hurtado made eye contact with him while he was talking to (the woman) at the weigh station."
He also claimed that, "he was capable of seeing into a person’s soul" and "he then ‘heard from god’" and "god gave him permission to shoot Mr. Hurtado."
Court documents indicate Hilde also told investigators, "he was concerned for his safety and unholstered his white Glock 9MM." He told law enforcement he fired, "approximately eight shots."
Stephanie has thought about what she might say during a victim impact statement in court.
"I’m allowed to directly say, 'Hey, you’re a murderer. You killed my son. You didn’t even shoot him once or twice, you shot him eight times," said Stephanie. "You didn’t even try. You didn’t even. It was eight times in his chest."
She says it's hard to put the loss into words.
"It’s not going to take away the pain I feel for my son. It’s not going to take away the things that I’ve been through," said Stephanie.
Stephanie says Hilde is scheduled to be in court on Feb. 10.
The Source: Information in this story is from FOX 13 Seattle reporting and the Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
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