SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Sept. 18, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s office has filed notice it intends to seek the death penalty in the case of a Utah State Prison inmate charged with stabbing and kicking another prisoner to death.
Ramon Luis Rivera, who turns 32 on Saturday, is charged with aggravated murder in the March 14, 2016 stabbing death of Jeffrey Ray Vigil.
Rivera, incarcerated for attempted aggravated murder at the time of the alleged crime, is now charged with:
• One count of criminal homicide, aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, a charge that is enhanced because of its association with a criminal street gang
• Two counts of transportation or possession of items prohibited in a correctional and mental health facility, second-degree felonies
The probable cause statement says that officers reviewing prison surveillance video saw Rivera and inmate Albert Collin Fernandez punching and kicking Vigil until he fell.
“Mr. Vigil falls to the ground and Rivera stabs Mr. Vigil several times,” the probable cause statement says. “For a period of time, it appears Fernandez is also attempting to block Mr. Vigil’s escape from Rivera, during which time Mr. Vigil is being stabbed by Rivera.
“After Rivera stabbed Mr. Vigil multiple times, he placed Mr. Vigil in a choke hold until Mr. Vigil fell unconscious. While Mr. Vigil was lying unconscious on the floor, Rivera stomped on and kicked Mr. Vigil’s head in excess of 70 times.”
An autopsy on Vigil determined his manner of death was homicide, and the cause of death was blunt force trauma and sharp force trauma, the statement says.
After being read his Miranda rights, Rivera said he was the only one who assaulted Vigil, and stated it was over “gang shit,” the statement says.
“Rivera had knowledge that Mr. Vigil was a member of a rival gang,” the statement says. “Rivera and Fernandez are documented to be members of the same gang. Rivera stated he stomped, stabbed, hit and strangled Mr. Vigil. Rivera stated he intended to kill Mr. Vigil, and told Mr. Vigil that he was going to kill him.”
Rivera reportedly told officers he had two knives, and after the first broke, he began stabbing Vigil with the second. Officers found one knife on the prison floor and a second, broken, in the trash, the statement says.
