SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, June 3, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A Salt Lake County man has been convicted of two counts of first-degree aggravated murder after shootings in 2022 at a party at a Draper AirBnB.
Daniel Martinez was at the April 3, 2022, party when the manager of the AirBnB arrived to end the party and disperse the partygoers, says a news release issued by the Salt Lake District Attorney’s Office.
According to the charging documents at the time of his arrest, Martinez had turned 18 in April 2022.
“The defendant and his friend were throwing beer bottles into the street, shattering them,” the statement says.
“The defendant was confronted by victim Austin Powell to stop breaking the bottles. After a brief verbal argument, the defendant began skipping and hopping around while firing bullets in the direction of the victim’s car, striking another victim, Jonathan Fuentes. Mr. Powell was pronounced dead at the scene, and Mr. Fuentes was taken to Intermountain Medical Center where he was pronounced brain dead and died later that day.”
The defendant was convicted in a jury trial on Friday, May 31. Sentencing is scheduled for July 18 of this year.
“The actions by the defendant were callous and brazen,” Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said in the released statement.
“Two people had their lives extinguished much too early. Mr. Martinez showed complete disregard for the sanctity of human life and the safety of others when he shot at an occupied vehicle. The jury made the right call.
“I want to thank our prosecutors, Adrianna Davis and John Ham, and our support staff for their efforts on this case. I also want to thank our law enforcement partners for their thorough investigation.”
