The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

Twelve jurors declared Sam Valdez guilty on four counts including solicitation for murder and arson after deliberating for nearly six hours on Friday.

The Valdez family is expected to speak on his behalf when he is sentenced at 1 p.m. on March 13. His sentence could last as long as 17-23 years, and he could be in his 80s by the time he gets out of prison.

Valdez took the stand last week and denied that he had been serious about hiring a hit man to kill his ex-wife, calling that and his talk about burning the neighbor’s house down “bravado.” Unfortunately for Valdez, the recordings caught on a wire worn by the informant were too damning for the jury to ignore.

Wahkiakum County District Attorney Dan Bigelow praised his deputy as well as the man who stepped forward to not only report Valdez but to also make sure he was convicted.

“I have a fabulous staff,” Bigelow said. “(Deputy Prosecuting Attorney) Sue Baur is one of the best pure criminal litigators in southwest Washington. She had the support of my entire office and she tried a brilliant case.

“Wahkiakum County and Beth Robbins in particular, owe the citizen informant who came forward a tremendous debt of gratitude,” Bigelow continued. “While asking nothing in return, he risked a lot. He went through a lot, he went through the grinding process of litigation and then he went through withering cross examination. He was on the stand for more than a day. All this when he could so easily have turned his back and said nothing. Instead of doing that and giving Sam Valdez an opportunity to find another hit man, he took definitive action to make sure that the life of a woman he had never met was saved. It turned his life completely upside down. You don’t see that thing a lot. The kid’s a hero.”

Beth Robbins is the ex-wife of Sam Valdez.

Valdez was also convicted of delivery of marijuana and possession with intent to manufacture or deliver marijuana.