Left inset: Martin Cruz (Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office). Center inset: Fortunato Nato Villagrana (Salt Lake City Police Department). Right inset: Paris Gustin (KTVX). Background: Utah police at the scene of the shooting that left 16-year-old Paris Gustin dead (KSTU/YouTube).
A man is headed to prison in Utah after he helped his pal hunt down teenagers who were allegedly "egging" cars — killing a 16-year-old boy while riding around with an AK-47, prosecutors say.
Martin Antonio Cruz, 31, was sentenced Monday to a prison term of one to 15 years for manslaughter after taking part in the slaying of Paris Gustin in 2016, according to local NBC affiliate KSL.
Cruz accepted a plea deal that dropped his charge from murder to manslaughter and received credit for the more than nine years he has spent in jail since being charged in 2017. He and his pal, Fortunato Nato Villagrana, hunted down Paris with an AK-47 after "an egg was thrown from a vehicle" that the teen was riding in, according to Salt Lake City police and prosecutors.
It's unclear whether Paris threw the egg or was just a passenger.
"Prior to the shooting, an egg thrown from a vehicle hit Villagrana in the ear and landed in the back seat of his vehicle," a Salt Lake City Police Department press release said in 2022, when Villagrana was extradited from Mexico after fleeing the United States.
"Detectives learned Villagrana drove to his residence, collected a firearm and he, and then 21-year-old Martin Cruz, began searching for the people who threw the egg at him," the release alleged. "Once located, Villagrana is accused of leaning a portion of his body out of the window, with Cruz being the driver, and shooting into the vehicle occupied by Gustin."
Villagrana is scheduled for a jury trial early next year. Cruz testified against him during a preliminary hearing in July.
"He told on his friend to get a lesser sentence," said Paris' mother, Ashley Gustin, on Monday, according to KSL. "It wasn't to help the court or this case."
Cruz reportedly waived his rights to a speedy trial in 2018. His attorney said the case's significant delay was not Cruz's fault. He pleaded guilty on Aug. 3 and admitted to recklessly causing Paris' death, according to KSL.
Three counts of discharging a firearm were dropped as part of his plea deal.
"I don't even know if there's words to describe what he has done to me and my son," Ashley Gustin said in court Monday. "He not only killed Paris that day — he killed me and everything that I was, everything that I loved in life."
Deputy Salt Lake County Attorney Brad Cooley said the plea agreement Cruz received was necessary because prosecutors needed Cruz's cooperation to help bring Villagrana back to the country after he fled.
Cruz's attorney, Samuel Hanseen, said Cruz did not want to participate in the killing but lacked the courage to stand up to Villagrana.
"He didn't want to be involved, but he didn't have it in him to stand up to his co-defendant," Hanseen said.
According to Hanseen, Cruz takes responsibility and wishes he had made a different choice. Cruz declined to make a statement.