FORKS — Moises Ramirez Matias, the target of a nationwide manhunt, was arrested in Forks on Wednesday just three miles north of where he allegedly killed the mother of the couple’s 4-year-old child.
Ramirez Matias, 25, who also uses the alias Dario Ramirez Moises, was arrested at about 11:10 a.m. Wednesday in a building on Merchants Road for the stabbing death of Laranda Konopaski, 18, early Sunday morning, said Forks Police Sgt. Ed Klahn.
Ramirez Matias, who had been charged with first-degree premeditated murder-domestic violence Tuesday while he was still at large, was being held on $2 million bail at the Forks jail Wednesday.
Konopaski’s family was “very relieved” over his apprehension, said Auburn resident Lillian Wilbur, Laranda’s aunt.
A national warrant had been issued Monday for Ramirez Ma-tias’ arrest.
Ramirez Matias probably will have a first-appearance court hearing at 3 p.m. today in Clallam County Superior Court, said county Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Ann Lundwall, who will prosecute the case.
There, a judge will set his conditions of release from jail and may set an arraignment date, Lundwall said.
Ramirez Matias is accused of murdering Konopaski in a trailer on Lot 28 of Rainforest Trailer Park, 1205 S. Forks Ave., during an argument.
Their daughter, Mariah, who was in the trailer, phoned 9-1-1 at 5:09 a.m. Sunday to report her mother was dead, according to court records.
Konopaski died of multiple stab wounds at Forks Community Hospital within an hour of the incident.
Blood was found throughout the residence, and a bloody knife was found in the master bedroom, court records said.
Ramirez Matias, a Guatemalan citizen illegally in the United States, had been removed from the U.S. in 2008 for an immigration violation, Border Patrol spokesman Jeffrey Jones said.
The agency will place a detainer on him, under which he will be processed again under immigration laws “once he goes through the court system,” Jones said.
If convicted of the murder, Ramirez Matias could be sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.
Melina Harris of Seattle, Laranda’s aunt, said she supplied the couple with immigration forms for Ramirez Matias to become a legal resident, but he never filled them out.
When the family discovered that Konopaski was pregnant, that Ramirez Matias was much older than Konopaski and that he was an illegal resident, “we blew every gasket we could, and everyone cried,” Harris said.
Klahn said Ramirez Matias’ arrest came about as the result of a tip from a citizen and was accomplished without incident by law enforcement officials from the Forks Police Department, Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and LaPush Tribal Police Department.
“Now that he’s in custody, we have the pressure of a criminal proceeding,” Wilbur said.
“This is going to be a long, drawn-out thing, but we are just glad he is in custody.”
Konopaski attended Clallam Bay School District schools from kindergarten through 12th grade and recently graduated from Clallam Bay High School.
She had also earned scholarships to go to college.
Grief counselors have been available to school district students and staff in the wake of the murder.
Vinetta Konopaski, Laranda’s older sister, told the Peninsula Daily News in an earlier interview that Laranda had wanted to be a nurse.
“As soon as she knew she was pregnant, she got a job,” Vinetta said.
“She wasn’t the kind of person to sit back and get welfare.”
Mariah remained in the custody of Child Protective Services on Wednesday, and a family member hopes to gain full custody and raise the girl, family members said.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-417-3536 or at paul.gottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
