Man convicted of shooting woman in downtown Centralia sentenced to 13 years in prison

Nov. 27 – A man convicted of shooting a 23-year-old woman in the chest in downtown Centralia on June 30 was sentenced Tuesday to just over 13 years in prison.

Dayton Luther Arias, also known as Dayton Luther Lafferty, 23, entered an Alford plea to first-degree assault with a firearm on Nov. 6.

This plea allowed Arias, who claimed to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the shooting, to take advantage of the plea deal without admitting guilt.

“I have no recollection of these events, but I have reviewed the evidence before the state and I believe that if I went to trial I would be convicted and therefore I want to use a state official,” Arias states in a written guilty plea filed in Lewis County Superior Court on November 6.

Arias was arrested and booked into the Lewis County Jail at 6:51 a.m. on June 30, and remained in custody on $750,000 bail for the duration of the case.

The judge sentenced Arias on Nov. 26 to 100 months in prison plus 60 months for the deadly weapon enhancement charge, for a total of 160 months. Upon his release, he is required to register as a firearms offender and, if possible, undergo drug treatment.

The shooting occurred at 600 South Tower Avenue in Centralia around 3:01 a.m. on Sunday, June 30, according to court documents and Centralia Police Department call logs. The caller reported that someone had been shot in front of the Shell gas station.

According to court documents, officers responded to the gas station parking lot and found a 23-year-old woman who had been shot in the chest.

Witnesses say the man shot the woman, dropped the gun and fled the scene.

Court documents say one witness said he was walking with the victim “when they noticed Arias in the Dayton parking lot holding a gun.” The victim “knew Arias from school and approached him in an attempt to get him to put down the gun,” but according to the witness, Lafferty allegedly “pointed the gun at (the woman) and fired one shot, striking (her) in the chest.”

Then, according to an eyewitness, he allegedly “re-locked and placed the gun on the ground before leaving the immediate area.”

The officers located the weapon on the street and seized it as evidence.

Witnesses reportedly “pointed out” Lafferty in a nearby area and he was taken into custody.

Court documents say that during interrogation, he allegedly “confessed to shooting (the woman) but claimed he was too intoxicated to provide details.”

According to a press release from the Centralia Police Department, the victim was transported by ambulance to Providence Centralia Hospital and then taken to Tacoma General Hospital for treatment of his injuries, but court documents indicate he later died.

Court documents show that the body was released to the family on November 6.