SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, July 7, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — A man convicted of killing a man who had rented a room in his father’s home has been sentenced to 15 years to life for the 2022 murder.
The man killed was Luis Alberto Cardenas, 23.
The man sentenced was Miguel Zamora-Bonilla, who was 21 at the time of the shooting.
“On Dec. 29, 2022, police were called to 4268 S. 3720 West in West Valley City. When they arrived, they found Cardenas with multiple gunshot wounds,” says the news release from the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office.
“Police attempted CPR, but Cardenas succumbed to his injuries. Through the investigation, detectives learned that the defendant’s father had rented a room to Cardenas earlier in the summer. The defendant told police that there was a bad feeling in their home when Cardenas moved in. The defendant believed he heard Cardenas laugh at him and his family at night.
“The defendant told police he woke up the night of the shooting at 1 a.m. and felt different and said he knew he had to ‘take care of’ Cardenas. The defendant then got dressed and walked outside and around the block before going back inside his house and downstairs to grab his gun. Then he walked into Cardenas’ doorway, where he fired his weapon,” the release says.
“The defendant told police his intent was to make the shooting look like a home invasion. The defendant then ran out of the house, took apart the gun, and discarded several pieces of his clothing in a church dumpster. Nearly all the parts of the gun and clothing were found where the defendant told police they would find them.”
Zamora-Bonilla pleaded guilty with a mental condition to one count of first-degree felony murder on April 27, 2026. On Monday, a Third District Court Judge sentenced the defendant to 15 years to life imprisonment.
“We appreciate the judge imposing this sentence, which is appropriate for the senseless loss of life in our community. This sentence will ensure the defendant cannot hurt anyone else in our community as his mental health needs are addressed during his incarceration,” Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said in the prepared statement.
“We appreciate the years of work on this case by our prosecutors and our support staff. We thank the West Valley City Police Department detectives who conducted a thorough investigation that helped ensure the successful prosecution.”
File photo: Gephardt Daily/Monico Garza/SLCScanner
