Utah Man Sentenced to 45 Years to Life for Killing 2 Teens at House Party

Patrocinio Perez, 24, was sentenced for ambushing and fatally shooting two teens at a Utah party after hearing them speak ill of his friends.

Utah shooter who boasted about 'ultra lethal' ammo gets 45 years to life for double murder at party

Patrocinio Perez, 24, will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars after a Utah judge sentenced him Tuesday to 45 years to life in prison for fatally shooting two teenagers at a house party in August 2021, Law & Crime reports.

Third District Judge Heather Brereton ordered the sentence following Perez's guilty plea in the killings of Ivan Valenzuela, 18, and Juan Valentine Rodriguez, 19, at a gathering in Magna, Utah. A 17-year-old girl, Autumn Baker, was also wounded in the attack.

Brereton imposed 15 years to life for each of the two aggravated murder convictions, along with five years to life for each of two felony firearm discharge counts resulting in serious bodily injury, and an additional five years to life for a separate firearm discharge charge. All sentences run consecutively.

An ambush on the stairs

Salt Lake County Deputy District Attorney Vincent Meister told the court that Perez had crawled up the stairs of the home before shooting Rodriguez at close range and then firing into the back of Valenzuela's head — without any warning.

"It was literally an ambush of both of these individuals," Meister said, as quoted by KSL.

Perez later told investigators he opened fire because he believed the two men "were talking negative about his homies." He said he received the address from a girl on Snapchat and got a ride to the party from a friend before entering the residence and shooting both victims.

Social media posts sealed the case

Investigators initially focused on Perez after receiving reports that he had been telling others — including documented gang members — that he was responsible for the shooting. Call records, Uber data, and Snapchat location data placed him near the home at the time of the killings, according to KTVX.

He also drew attention through his own social media activity. Shortly after the shooting, Perez posted about "upgrading his belt" and boasted that he had "ultra lethal" ammunition, according to the reporting.

Survivors describe lasting trauma

Baker, the surviving victim, submitted a written impact statement describing how the shooting upended her life. She said she had once been outgoing and social, but that everything changed "in six minutes." She now lives with post-traumatic stress disorder, has difficulty sleeping, and struggles with loud noises.

"He took two innocent souls from this world, and half of mine," she wrote. "He left Ivan, Juan and me to die."

Valenzuela's sister also addressed the court, asking that her brother be remembered as more than a victim of gun violence. She said her family continues to feel his absence daily and finds it hard to experience joy without guilt.

Meister added that the violence had traumatized the dozens of young people present at the party, who witnessed the victims being "randomly executed in their presence that night."

Judge calls plea deal a 'gift'

Perez pleaded guilty as part of an agreement under which prosecutors recommended 15 years to life rather than 25 years to life on each aggravated murder count. Several additional charges — including obstruction of justice and possession of a weapon by a restricted person — were dismissed as part of the deal, KSL reported.

Before handing down the sentence, Brereton made clear she considered the plea arrangement unusually lenient. She called the deal a "gift," noting that Perez had killed two people, wounded a third, and exposed many others to the trauma of gun violence. She described the killings as "horrendous" and "senseless," and underscored the lasting effects the murders continue to have on those who witnessed them.

Perez's attorney, Rudy Bautista, told the court that his client had come to understand "the stupidity of his ways" and now appreciates the value of human life.

Given the opportunity to speak, Perez offered a brief apology to the victims' families.

"I know what I did, it was wrong, but I just want to apologize, that's it," he reportedly said.

Source: Law & Crime