ST. GEORGE, Utah, March 13, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A man originally charged with murder after the shooting death of a younger acquaintance has pleaded guilty to lesser charges, and on Friday was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.
Nicanor Vasquez-Mendoza, now 34, was charged in 2019 after the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Skyler Armstrong.
The federal charges he pleaded guilty to as part of the plea deal were:
- Possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute
- Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking
Vasquez-Mendoza’s original state charges also included murder, a first-degree felony; additional drug charges; possession by a firearm by a restricted person charges, and witness tampering.
Background
Police responded to Vasquez-Mendoza’s apartment on Aug. 14, 2019, after a report of shots fired, and found him attempting to drive away from the scene, the original probable cause statement says.
“Nicanor advised the officer he witnessed Skyler shoot himself. He also said he was prohibited from being near firearms, so he fled the scene,” the statement said.
Officials transported Armstrong to the hospital, where he later died.
Forensic evidence and witness interviews with juveniles on scene led officers to conclude Vasquez-Mendoza was responsible for Armstrong’s shooting death and other offenses he was subsequently charged with.
All charges except two were dropped as part of the plea deal.
