A 24-year-old Utah man has been sentenced to 45 years to life in prison for fatally shooting two people at a house party after he claimed they were speaking negatively about his friends, authorities said.
Background
The slayings occurred during an Aug. 15, 2021, house party in Magna, Utah, where Ivan Valenzuela, 18, and Juan Valentine Rodriguez, 19, were killed. A 17-year-old girl, Autumn Baker, was also wounded in the attack that prosecutors described as a calculated ambush.
Patrocinio Perez pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated murder as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, who had agreed to recommend reduced sentencing on each count rather than pursue harsher penalties.
The Investigation
Investigators focused on Perez after receiving reports that he had been telling other people, including documented gang members, that he was responsible for the shooting. Call records, Uber data and Snapchat location information placed him near the home around the time of the killings, according to Salt Lake City ABC affiliate KTVX.
He also discussed the shooting on social media, posting about upgrading his belt with ultra lethal ammunition just after the killings, prosecutors said. After his arrest, Perez told investigators he received the address from a girl on Snapchat and got a ride to the party from a friend before entering the residence and opening fire.
Salt Lake County Deputy District Attorney Vincent Meister described how Perez approached the victims without warning by crawling up the stairs of the home before shooting Rodriguez at close range and then firing into the back of Valenzuela's head. There was no warning, Meister said. It was literally an ambush of both of these individuals.
The Sentencing
Third District Judge Heather Brereton on Tuesday imposed 15 years to life for each of the two aggravated murder convictions, along with five years to life for each of two counts of felony discharge of a firearm with serious bodily injury and another five years to life for felony discharge of a firearm. All sentences were ordered to run consecutively.
Before sentencing Perez, Brereton called the plea agreement a gift to the defense, noting that he had killed two people, wounded another and exposed dozens of young people at the party to gun violence.
Key Takeaways
- Ivan Valenzuela, 18, and Juan Valentine Rodriguez, 19, were killed in the Aug. 15, 2021 shooting in Magna, Utah
- Autumn Baker, who was wounded, testified she suffered PTSD and struggles with loud noises after the attack
- Perez allegedly posted on social media about upgrading his belt with ultra lethal ammunition after the slayings
- Judge Heather Brereton called the plea agreement unusually favorable to the defendant
What's Next
Perez will serve his sentence in a Utah state correctional facility. The obstruction of justice and possession of a weapon by a restricted person charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.