SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Oct. 24, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — The Salt Lake District Attorney’s Office has charged three people with felony murder after the Oct 13 shooting death of Taylorsville resident Jorge Llamas.
Charged with murder of 21-year-old Llamas are Ariana Aguilar, 44, his girlfriend; Natalie Aguilar, 19, Ariana’s daughter; and Alejandro Mendoza, 17 and being charged as an adult.
Four minors, being charged as juveniles, were also arrested in the case. Due to their ages, 15 (three) and 16 (one), their names and charges are undisclosed.
Today, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced charges.
Both Aguilar women and Mendoza are charged with:
- Murder, a first-degree felony
- Aggravated burglary, a first-degree felony
Besides those charges, Ariana Aguilar faces:
- Two counts of obstruction of justice, capital, a first-degree felony
- Retaliation against witness, victim or informant, a third-degree felony
And besides the first two charges, Mendoza faces one count of:
- Obstruction of justice, capital, a first-degree felony
“On October 13, 2024, Taylorsville police responded to a shots fired call where they found Mr. Llamas unresponsive in a bedroom, with his girlfriend, Ariana Aguilar, on top of him,” the DA Office news release says.
“When medical personnel arrived, they declared Mr. Llamas deceased on the scene. As medical personnel attended to Mr. Llamas, there was a commotion in the living room. When police went to see what was happening, they saw Ariana holding a woman on the ground and hitting her. After police took Ms. Aguilar into custody, the woman she was hitting told them that Ariana and Mr. Llamas had been in a fight earlier in the evening, and Mr. Llamas had locked Ariana outside.
“She said that later, Ariana returned with her daughter, Natalie Aguilar, and some males whom she did not know. She said two of the males went into Mr. Llamas’ room, and then she heard a shot. She said she saw Ariana’s daughter and the males run from the home.
“Police later interviewed Natalie, who admitted that her mother had called her after her fight with Mr. Llamas and said that they needed to come jump him because he had ‘put hands on’ her. Natalie told police that she drove to Mr. Llamas’s home with V.V., Alejandro Mendoza, and J.M.-R. While interviewing V.V., he admitted to police that two additional males were with them in the vehicle, A.M.-M. and I.S.
The five males were captured on surveillance camera entering a gas station at around the time they would have been driving with Natalie Aguilar from Ogden to Taylorsville, the statement says.
“In that surveillance footage, police observed A.M.-M. lift his arm and hold his hand out like a gun; he was then observed pretending to rack the gun and fire.”
Natalie Aguilar told Taylorsville police that when they arrived near Mr. Llamas’ house, they met Ariana, who got into the car, and the males got out, the news release says.
“Natalie said she and her mother drove up to Mr. Llamas’ home. When investigators later looked at surveillance footage near Mr. Llamas’ house, they observed all five of the males walking toward Mr. Llamas’ home. Natalie said that Ariana then broke a window screen to Mr. Llamas’ house, opened the window, and ordered A.M.-M. and J.M.-R. to go inside and open the door. Natalie told police that A.M.-M. had a gun that was visible when he entered the home.
“Ariana allegedly led them to Mr. Llama’s room, where he was sleeping, and told them, ‘This is the homie.’ A.M.-M. then allegedly started yelling at Mr. Llamas, hit him with the gun, then shot him. J.M.-R. said he received a message from A.M.-M. that said, ‘Sorry, someone must have put a bullet in the chamber.'”
All charges against the other minor males are being screened for juvenile court.
Ariana Aguilar’s charging documents say that the Medical Examiner later confirmed that “Llamas died from a single gunshot wound that entered the front of his neck, passed through his cervical spine, and cut through his spinal cord. The medical examiner noted injuries to Jorge’s face consistent with being struck and ruled the cause of death a homicide.”
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill commented on the case in the news release.
“This tragic loss of life was preventable. We want to express our heartfelt support to the family as they grieve the loss of their loved one,” Gill said.
“We thank Taylorsville Police Department for their thorough investigation that helped lead to these charges being filed. All persons accused of wrongdoing are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.”
Obituary
An obituary published for Llamas said he was the youngest of four brothers, and “his mother’s only support, and helped his sister with her studies. He would call his mother regularly, making sure she ate regularly, took her medicine, and to wish her good night.
“Jorge worked very hard to fulfill his sister’s dream of celebrating her 15th birthday party, and made the sacrifice of sending money to his mother so they could make more repairs to her house to make it a better place to live in. His favorite nephew was Chintin, who he saw as a brother.
“Jorge liked playing baseball, was a friendly person, and a great friend. He was also very loved by people and was someone you could always count on. Jorge was going to celebrate his last birthday in the United States because he already had plans to leave for Mexico at the end of the month to take care of his mother who is sick and spend time with his family whom he had not seen for almost four years.”
The obituary also said the family would appreciate help with expenses to transport Llamas to his planned burial location, in Rincon de Romos Aguascalientes, Mexico. To read the obituary, shown in English and Spanish, and to view the fundraising link, click here.
