A Utah man will spend decades behind bars for the random killing of an Ogden man at a traffic stop.
Ogden's 2nd District Court Judge Cristina Ortega sentenced 23-year-old Mauro Juan Soto to 31 years to life in prison for the shooting death of Juan "JJ" Garcia Jr. Soto was convicted by a jury of aggravated murder, obstructing justice, and nine counts of felony discharge of a firearm. In addition, the defendant pleaded guilty to possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person.
"I cannot predict who you will be in 25 years ... you may be the same person that stands before me today, and if that is so, then life in prison will be your fate," said Ortega during the sentencing hearing, reported KSL.com.
On Jan. 17, 2023, officers responded to the 1200 Block of Harrison Boulevard near the intersection with 12th Street after reports of a shooting during rush hour. Upon arrival, they found Garcia’s body riddled with multiple gunshot wounds and nine bullet holes in the victim’s car. Though he was rushed to a nearby hospital, Garcia succumbed to his injuries.
Witnesses who took pictures of the fleeing vehicle identified Soto as the shooter. According to prosecutors, Soto was in the back seat of a car driven by a co-defendant, 30-year-old Anthony Barela, with a woman as a passenger when the duo pulled next to Garcia before the defendant fired multiple shots. Soon, officers tracked the men’s whereabouts, where they found the murder weapon and the bullet casings.
The Ogden Trece gang member was a known entity to authorities. At the time of the fatal incident, the defendant had been on probation for a previous shooting in 2020 after he shot 14 times into a car driven by a man carrying his pregnant ex-girlfriend as he chased them in traffic. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
Soto’s sentence will run consecutively after serving a term of 2 – 20 years for the previous charges. The judge ordered him to pay $29,000 in restitution.
Garcia’s best friend, Ezekiel Cortez, described the victim, who is survived by a two-year-old daughter, as a loving father who devoted himself to his family.
“Yeah very important. It was all he talked about. Was kind of nudging me to do it too, you know. You should do it so our kids can hang out,” said Cortez, according to KSL News Radio.
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