CONTRERAS GETS CONCURRENT LIFE SENTENCES

(CAMERON)  A Hearne man was sentenced to concurrent life sentences Tuesday by 20^th District Court Judge Ed Magre.  Ben Contreras, 42,  pled guilty to the brutal murders of his ex-girlfriend Stephanie Diane Young and her stepfather, Preston “Pete” Solomon.  Contreras also received a 20 year sentence for the attempted murder of Ms. Young’s mother, Gail Solomon. 

The charges stem from an incident that occurred on February 1^st  of this year (See story) when Contreras, who had been living with the Solomon’s but had moved out the previous month, was riding into Cameron with Mr. Solomon.  Contreras began beating Solomon with a sledgehammer and then kicked him out of the pickup.  He was discovered by a motorist who called 911.  Meanwhile, Contreras drove Solomon’s pickup back to the Solomon residence where he shot Mrs. Solomon several times.  She managed to leave the residence and drove to a neighbors house to call authorities.  Contreras then barricaded himself in the Solomon house with Ms. Young and her three children.  He surrendered to lawmen after an hour-long stand-off. When Deputies entered the residence, they found Ms. Young beaten and stabbed to death.  The three children had been locked up in a bathroom and were unharmed. 

Initially, Contreras was charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder.  However, Mr. Solomon died from his  injuries 5 weeks later, and his attempted murder was changed to a 2^nd murder charge. 

In addition to the prison sentences, the court assessed Contreras with restitution of $21,250 to be paid the Crime Victim’s Compensation Fund in connection with Solomon’s death; $5250 for Ms. Young’s funeral expenses; and $750 for crime scene clean-up.