He assassinated a Tacoma gang leader in 2010. Now he's been sentenced.

A 25-year-old man prosecutors said was recruited to assassinate a Tacoma gang leader in 2010 has been sentenced.

Juan Ortiz was charged eight years ago for the fatal shooting of 26-year-old Juan Zuniga.

Ortiz eluded police until last year when he was arrested in Mexico and brought back to the United States.

He pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and second-degree assault in February as part of negotiations with Pierce County prosecutors.

On Monday, Superior Court Judge Stanley Rumbaugh gave him a mid-range sentence of 31 years, eight months in prison.

"This was a premeditated execution," the judge said.

Defense attorney Philip Thornton told the court that Ortiz knows his crime was "horrendous" and "inexcusable."

In asking for a lower sentence, the Thornton also noted that Ortiz had cognitive difficulties growing up and was picked on for his small stature.

Ortiz's older brother was a gang member, and Ortiz turned to the gang for protection, Thornton said.

"Mr. Ortiz is not a hardened gang member," Thornton said. "He was a pawn in this scheme."

Ortiz fired five shots in the garage of Zuniga's home May 12, 2010 in the 3300 block of North Visscher Street, which killed Zuniga and paralyzed another man.

Prosecutors argued that the shooting was a premeditated effort to execute Zuniga, who had fallen out of favor with members of the gang.

Senior members of the gang chose the then-16-year-old Ortiz and Naitaalii Toleafoa, who was 15, to do the job, according to court records.

Toleafoa is serving a sentence of 32 years, nine months in prison for the crime, and records show seven others were also charged in connection to Zuniga's death.

This story was originally published June 25, 2018 at 6:03 PM with the headline "He assassinated a Tacoma gang leader in 2010. Now he's been sentenced.."