Man sentenced to 15 years in prison for 2023 murder in west Olympia

A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison for stabbing another person to death in northwest Olympia last April.

Thurston County Superior Court Judge Sharonda D. Amamilo sentenced Kevin Andrew Johnson on Feb. 23 to 181 months in prison for second-degree murder. Johnson pleaded guilty on Jan. 4 to murdering Nathaniel “Alex” Montoya on April 30, 2023.

The homicide occurred before 2 a.m. that day in the 1800 block of East End Street Northwest, west of Division Street. Johnson, along with three other relatives, were arrested near Vancouver in Clark County after a multi-day search. His sentencing came after he accepted a plea agreement that avoided a jury trial.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said they were grateful to the community members and law enforcement who worked to apprehend and investigate the defendants in this case.

“The defendant’s acceptance of the plea offer extended by the State resolved the criminal case in a way that avoided witnesses reliving that tragic day during a jury trial and provided some certainty to the closure of this case,” the PAO spokesperson said. “We hope the resolution of this case makes it easier for family and friends to grieve.”

An obituary for Montoya described him as an artist, musician and skateboarder with a sense of humor. He is survived by his son, parents, sisters and the rest of his extended family.

“Nathaniel ‘Alex’ Montoya leaves behind a loving extended family and a broad network of friends whose hearts ache in the absence created by his murder and who are comforted by the memories of his infectious joy,” the PAO spokesperson said.

Johnson had no prior criminal history, so his sentencing range was 123-220 months in prison, according to court records. Prosecutors initially charged him in May 2023 with second-degree murder while armed with a deadly weapon and tampering with physical evidence.

Kevin Andrew Johnson’s brothers, Mathew Ryan Johnson, 26, and Michael Jay Johnson, 35, pleaded guilty on Jan. 8 to second-degree rendering criminal assistance. Judge Indu Thomas sentenced the two brothers to 364 days in jail that same day.

Their father, Steven William Johnson, 60, pleaded guilty on July 10, 2023, to first-degree rendering criminal assistance and tampering with physical evidence. Judge Amamilo sentenced him to a total of one year and 364 days of confinement.

Why did Johnson stab Montoya?

Johnson stabbed Montoya six times in the street in front of his parent’s home in the early morning of April 30, 2023. His mother reportedly called 911 as he bled out on the pavement.

At the time, Montoya was walking to his parent’s home after spending the evening at a local tavern.

Steven William Johnson pulled up to Montoya in his RV home and confronted him. He believed Montoya had pounded on the RV earlier and told them something to the effect of “get out of the neighborhood,” according to court records.

An argument ensued and the two men grabbed each other, per court records. In response, Kevin Andrew Johnson exited the vehicle from the passenger door and stabbed Montoya.

William B. Starnes and Jose R. Villanueva, Johnson’s attorneys, argued in a memorandum to the court that Montoya antagonized the Johnsons while intoxicated and engaged in a physical fight with Steven William Johnson. They argued Kevin Andrew Johnson acted to save his father.

“Nathaniel Montoya didn’t deserve to die, but in a state of extreme drunkenness he attacked someone that had done him no harm, and that man’s son (unbeknownst to Montoya) had an entire lifetime of anger, grievance, love and desperate desire to prove his worth to unleash upon him,” the memorandum says.

Johnson’s attorneys stated their client experienced a traumatic life since childhood, suffered from untreated head trauma and self-medicated with alcohol and cannabis.

“He’s spent almost every day of his life being a victim, being hated for being different and lacking any positive reinforcement for having any value at all. So, he drank. So, he smoked,” the memorandum says.

In another memorandum, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Randy Trick acknowledged the Johnsons felt targeted and have unaddressed trauma. However, he said it was unclear if Montoya was actually the person to pound on the Johnsons’ RV.

“Nothing justifies Kevin Johnson stabbing Mr. Montoya six times and slashing him four times when a push, a tackle or pulling the RV forward could have ended any altercation with Steven Johnson,” Trick said in the memorandum.

How were the Johnsons caught?

Following the stabbing the Johnsons fled south in their RV and sought to destroy evidence, Trick said in his memorandum.

They allegedly bought cleaning supplies to remove blood from their RV, disposed of the murder weapon in a river along Interstate 5 and threw away blood-stained clothing along the way, according to Trick.

Steven William Johnson tried to sell the RV to an auto-parts dealer near Vancouver, but the dealer reportedly refused. Instead, they abandoned the RV with a sign that read “Free” and continued on foot.

Clark County deputies found the RV after Olympia police publicized it as a vehicle of interest. The deputies found the Johnsons near the auto-parts dealer and took them into custody “without incident,” according to Trick.

Olympia police reportedly identified the RV after reviewing surveillance footage that showed it leaving the area. Another detective recognized the RV as one that had been parked by Burri Park a few blocks away.

Matthew Ryan Johnson and Michael Jay Johnson both spoke with Olympia detectives. They reportedly admitted to tampering with evidence and identified Kevin Andrew Johnson as the one who stabbed Montoya.

“As the case has progressed, all of Kevin Johnson’s co-defendant family members have corroborated that he acted alone in stabbing Mr. Montoya,” Trick said.

How did Montoya’s family react?

In a victim statement to the court, Shauna Montoya, Nathaniel Montoya’s mother, described seeing her son die in front of her. She said her soul was “mortally wounded.”

“To lose my only son, to have him bleed to death before my eyes has left me paralyzed by sorrow,” Shauna Montoya said in her statement. “The sadness in my children, my husband and all of Alex’s family and friends is devastating. To live on daily without Alex is unbearable.”

In response to the plea agreement and sentencing range, Shauna Montoya said she has lost faith in the justice system.

“America’s justice system is archaic and outdated, the laws and sentences for these brutal crimes do not give the victims or their family’s justice befitting the crimes. America’s justice system has failed,” Shauna Montoya said.

In another statement, Gina Downes, Nathaniel Montoya’s aunt, said she has watched her family suffer on a daily basis due to Montoya’s death. She asked the court to give Kevin Andrew Johnson the maximum penalty.

“This world cannot keep losing compassionate, loving, caring people, and those who have no regard for human life continue to work the system, and in a short amount of time are released into an oblivious population,” Downes said.

Montoya’s family set up a GoFundMe in his memory to support his son and one of his sisters, who is autistic and needs caregiver assistance. They have raised $10,905 as of Friday.