TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — A suspect in the death of a man in Taylorsville nearly two years ago has been sentenced to prison.
Ariana Aguilar, 46, was sentenced to a total of 17 years to life for the 2024 death of Jorge Llamas-Galaviz. She will serve 15 years to life for first-degree murder, 5 to life for aggravated burglary, 1-15 each for two counts of obstructing justice, and 0-5 for retaliation against a witness. The murder and burglary sentences will be served concurrently, but the rest will be consecutive.
Taylorsville Police were called to 2284 W. 4185 South early in the morning on Oct. 18, 2024, on reports of a shooting. Officers arrived and found Llamas-Galaviz unresponsive with a gunshot wound to his neck. Aguilar, his girlfriend, was on top of him. Medical personnel later pronounced him dead at the scene. At one point, officers said they saw Aguilar holding another woman on the ground and hitting her. Aguilar was then detained.
A witness told police that Aguilar and Llamas-Galaviz got in a fight the previous evening. Llamas-Galaviz locked Aguilar outside, and then Aguilar allegedly returned with her adult daughter and several teenage boys.
According to another witness, the group went to the Taylorsville home to jump Llamas-Galaviz because he had "put his hands on" Aguilar. They allegedly broke in, and Aguilar led them to Llamas-Galaviz's room where he was asleep. One of the teens hit Llamas-Galaviz with a handgun and then shot him, according to investigators.
Another witness said the shooter sent him a text afterward, saying: "Sorry, someone must have put a bullet in the chamber."
Aguilar claimed she had nothing to do with Llamas-Galaviz's death and said she was applying pressure to the wound on his neck when officers arrived.
Aguilar's case went to trial in April of this year, and the jury found her guilty on all counts.
"We appreciate the decision by the jury and the judge to deliver justice for the loved ones of Jorge Llamas. Reckless gun violence took the life of an innocent man," Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said in Tuesday's announcement. "This prosecution helped deliver accountability for the fatal decision the defendant made to have people retaliate for a perceived wrong." Gill continued to thank those in his office and the police who helped build the case.
Aguilar's daughter, 21-year-old Natalie Estella Aguilar, and 19-year-old Alejandro Mendoza were each convicted of second-degree felony manslaughter and second-degree felony aggravated burglary.
Multiple minor suspects were charged as well, and their cases are being handled in the juvenile court system.
