State Of Washington, V. Cristian Alexander Quijas

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedAugust 25, 2025
Docket86360-6
StatusUnpublished

This text of State Of Washington, V. Cristian Alexander Quijas (State Of Washington, V. Cristian Alexander Quijas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Of Washington, V. Cristian Alexander Quijas, (Wash. Ct. App. 2025).

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

STATE OF WASHINGTON, No. 86360-6-I

Respondent, DIVISION ONE

v. UNPUBLISHED OPINION CRISTIAN ALEXANDER QUIJAS,

Appellant.

SMITH, J. — In October 2017, the State charged Christian Quijas with

murder in the second degree after Quijas shot and killed Angel Estrada. The

State filed a motion requesting juvenile court decline jurisdiction. The court

granted the State’s motion and transferred Quijas’s case to superior court where

he would be tried as an adult. Quijas then pleaded guilty.

On direct appeal, this court affirmed the juvenile court’s decline order, but

remanded for the trial court to consider Quijas’s claim that the discretionary

decline statute is racially biased as applied. The trial court held a Dillenburg1

hearing, where Quijas appeared shackled, and found that, while

disproportionality exists in the entire juvenile justice system and the discretionary

decline process, Quijas did not prove the statute is racially biased as applied or

that his individual case was tainted by bias. Quijas appealed once again,

reiterating his arguments from below and claiming his Dillenburg hearing was

1 Dillenburg v. Maxwell, 70 Wn.2d 331, 413 P.2d 940 (1966). No. 86360-6-I/2

also tainted by bias. Finding no error in the trial court’s ruling and that bias did

not taint Quijas’s Dillenburg hearing, we affirm.

FACTS

Background

Christian Quijas was 15 years old when he was charged with murder in

the second degree.2 Quijas was living in Burlington with his mother, Marcia

Thompson. Quijas was a member of a local gang, the Surenos (Southsiders),

which had a rivalry with another gang, the Nortenos (Northsiders). Quijas’s

sister, C.Q., was dating Angel Estrada, a member of the Nortenos. Quijas, as

well as other members of the Surenos, took issue with C.Q. dating Estrada.

In March 2017, C.Q. and Estrada drove to Thompson’s home to drop off

C.Q.’s child so Thompson could babysit. Estrada waited in the car while C.Q.

went inside. Quijas was at the home with Daniel Gracidas, another member of

the Surenos. Quijas attempted to go outside and confront Estrada, but

Thompson restrained him. C.Q. returned to the vehicle and began to drive away

with Estrada. Quijas and Gracidas ran out of the home and chased after the car.

C.Q. was aware that Gracidas had given Quijas a handgun earlier that day.

C.Q. pulled the car over when Estrada attempted to exit the vehicle.

Estrada and Quijas began a physical altercation, during which C.Q. heard Quijas

call Estrada a “fucking buster.”3 During the fight, Quijas pulled out the handgun

2 The facts concerning Quijas’ initial trial and appeal come from this court’s published opinion in State v. Quijas, No. 78591-5-I (Wash. Ct. App. Feb. 18, 2020), https://www.courts.wa.gov/opinions/pdf/785915.pdf. 3 “Buster” is a slang term for a rival gang member.

2 No. 86360-6-I/3

and shot Estrada five times, three of those shots were fired after Estrada fell to

the ground. Quijas and Gracidas fled the scene and were arrested soon

thereafter.

The State charged Quijas with second degree murder and moved for the

juvenile court to decline jurisdiction. The court held a five-day declination hearing

where it considered testimony from various witnesses, including the defense’s

expert psychologist. The court declined jurisdiction. In its ruling, the court did

not address Quijas’s claim that Latinx youth are declined and tried in adult court

at a rate disproportionate to their percentage of the population. Quijas pleaded

guilty and the court sentenced him to 180 months confinement. Quijas appealed

the court’s discretionary decline decision.

On appeal, this court affirmed the trial court’s declination ruling, but held

the trial court erred by not addressing Quijas’s claim of racial bias. We

remanded with instructions to conduct a Dillenburg4 hearing to consider Quijas’s

claim of racial bias and determine whether declination was appropriate.

In advance of the Dillenburg hearing, the State requested Quijas be

restrained during the proceeding. At the hearing, Quijas orally opposed

restraints. The court heard arguments from both sides and granted the State’s

motion to have Quijas restrained.

4 A Dillenburg hearing determines whether declination of juvenile court jurisdiction is proper. See In re Pers. Restraint Petition of Dalluge, 152 Wn.2d 772, 782, 100 P.3d 279 (2004).

3 No. 86360-6-I/4

During the Dillenburg hearing, in addition to hearing from both parties, the

court heard testimony from Dr. Heather Evans, a psychologist retained by Quijas,

who prepared a report (hereafter referred to as the “Evans Report”) concerning

the relationship between race and discretionary decline. The court issued its

findings of fact and conclusions of law in February 2024 and held continued

declination of juvenile court jurisdiction was “in the best interests of the

respondent and the public.” While the court recognized the Evans Report

reached the conclusion that Hispanic youth are overrepresented in discretionary

decline hearings, it noted that the report did not “speak to why there are

disproportionate outcomes,” nor did it analyze individual cases. Because neither

the report nor Evans’s testimony provided “any information on what aspects of

the criminal justice system create a disproportionality that indicates there is bias

in this declination hearing or process,” the court concluded sufficient evidence did

not exist to support a finding of racial bias in Washington’s discretionary decline

process. The court affirmed its previous findings on the Kent5 factors and found

decline was still in the best interest of Quijas and the public. Quijas appealed.

AMICUS CURIAE

Under RAP 10.6, “the appellate court may on motion grant permission to

file an amicus curiae brief only if all parties consent, or if the filing of the brief

would assist the appellate court.”

5 Kent v. United States, 383 U.S. 554, 566-567, 86 S. Ct. 1045 (1966).

4 No. 86360-6-I/5

Here, the ACLU of Washington, King County Department of Public

Defense, and TeamChild submitted an amicus curiae brief in support of Quijas’s

appeal. The brief summarizes the findings from the Evan’s Report and asks this

court to adopt the objective observer standard into the discretionary decline

process. Because the briefing does not provide anything particularly dissimilar

for consideration, and the Evan’s Report is sufficiently summarized in the parties’

briefs, we decline to consider the amicus brief.

ANALYSIS

Washington’s Discretionary Decline Statute

Quijas contends the administration of Washington’s discretionary decline

statute violates due process because it is administered in an arbitrary and racially

biased manner. The State claims Quijas conflates disproportionality and

disparity, and the process is not unconstitutional. We agree with the State.

We review constitutional challenges de novo. City of Seattle v. Evans,

184 Wn.2d 856, 861, 366 P.3d 906 (2015). Statutes are presumed

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Related

Kent v. United States
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State v. Hutchinson
959 P.2d 1061 (Washington Supreme Court, 1998)
State v. Hartzog
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In RE DILLENBURG v. Maxwell
413 P.2d 940 (Washington Supreme Court, 1966)
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State v. Yarbrough
210 P.3d 1029 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2009)
State v. Turner
23 P.3d 499 (Washington Supreme Court, 2001)
In Re Personal Restraint Petition of Dalluge
100 P.3d 279 (Washington Supreme Court, 2004)
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State v. Finch
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In re the Personal Restraint of Dalluge
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In re the Marriage of Katare
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City of Seattle v. Evans
366 P.3d 906 (Washington Supreme Court, 2015)
State v. M.A.
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