A man who participated in the killing of his girlfriend's roommate only weeks after he was deported and then illegally returned to Yakima was sentenced Friday to 19 years in prison.

A Yakima County jury last year convicted Mariano Figueroa Diaz of second-degree felony murder for his role in the death of 18-year-old Aracely Alvarez-Lopez, whose burned corpse was found in an abandoned rock quarry outside of Toppenish in November 2005.

Prosecutors said Diaz, 25, and his girlfriend, Luisa Sanchez, imprisoned and then strangled Lopez at the Roosevelt Avenue apartment the two women shared following an argument over a stolen car.

Sanchez, 28, pleaded guilty to a charge of accomplice to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 13 years in prison. In a deal with prosecutors, she testified against Diaz at trial.

In court Friday, Diaz continued to dispute his role in the killing and also disputed his criminal record, which authorities said included convictions for forgery and alien in possession of a firearm.

According to prosecutors, Lopez's killing occurred a few weeks after Diaz was deported to Mexico following his conviction on the firearm charge.

Also known as Jonatan Diaz-Aguirre, Diaz was one of the nine inmates who participated in a mass breakout from the Yakima County jail in November 2005, two weeks after his arrest.

Citing Diaz's "active participation" in the Lopez killing and his criminal record, Superior Court Judge Michael Schwab settled on a sentence of 19 years that was near the top of the range of 154 to 254 months. Schwab also ordered Diaz to serve up to four years of probation. The judge noted, however, that Diaz will probably be deported again upon his release from prison.

* Chris Bristol can be reached at 577-7748 or cbristol@yakimaherald.com.