Kirkland Warren is convicted of double murder and child molestation in Clark County

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — A Vancouver man charged with murdering his former girlfriend and her 7-year-old daughter was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday in Clark County.

Kirkland Warren, 28, pleaded guilty last month to first-degree aggravated murder, second-degree murder and first-degree child abuse.

“A crime of this magnitude requires a sentence that is commensurate with the victims and the community,” Judge David Gregerson said. “This court sees no compelling reason why this defendant should not receive the maximum sentence under Washington law.”

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The bodies of 27-year-old Meshay Melendez and her daughter, 7-year-old Layla Stewart, were found along a rural road outside Washougal in March 2023, days after they were reported missing.

Both Melendez and Stewart had gunshot wounds to the head. DNA was found on Stewart that matched Warren’s, indicating sexual abuse. The prosecutor choked up several times as he described the details of this crime.

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“Speechless. I can’t imagine or believe that someone could do something like that to a seven-year-old,” he said.

“Cowardly to dump their half-clothed bodies and dump them in a ravine and make the family suffer for ten days searching, calling, investigating and frantically working with law enforcement to find out where they are?”

Family members Melendez and Stewart didn’t hold back when given the opportunity to address the court.

“The loss of Layla has left a hole in my heart that will never be filled,” said Javontae Stewart, Layla’s father.

“Every day I wake up in pain because I know my girl will never grow up.”

“We will never see her smile or hear her laugh again,” said Lashay Gates, Layla Stewart’s aunt.

“We will never see her grow, achieve her dreams, or live the life she deserves. Our family has been torn apart, my grief and the endless questions that haunt us every day. “Why?”

As Warren left the courtroom in handcuffs, some shouted at him, calling him a child molester and a coward.

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Others spoke after court, alongside family spokesperson and domestic violence advocate Michelle Bart.

“They were brutally murdered and sodomized by a monster, a soulless being put on this planet, a narcissist,” said Ricardo Melendez, Meshay’s brother.

Bart was not happy with the verdict. “He raped a seven-year-old, shot her and killed her,” she said.

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At the time of her death, Melendez had an order of protection against Warren after he was arrested earlier this month for shooting at her apartment building. Warren was also wanted for a 2017 murder in Arkansas, for which he was paroled.

Bart would have liked a harsher sentence to ensure he would never be released.

“Two life sentences without the possibility of parole would have been nice,” she said. “We’re dealing with a monster.”

Melendez’s mother and Stewart’s grandmother, Nichole Norris, did not comment in court. Instead, a victim advocate read her statement.

“The day I lost her, I lost myself. A part of me died with my girls. I’m no longer a girl’s mother, I’m no longer a grandmother. Life will never be the same for me and my family,” the statement read.

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, please visit the Call to Safety website or call 888-235-5333. You can also find protection, advocacy or legal support at the Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence website.