Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — A second man has been sentenced to consecutive prison terms in a Salt Lake murder case the judge called "senseless" and "a fight with a kid."
Marcelino "Marci" Johnson was walking with another 15-year-old boy and two 13-year-old girls on Aug. 27, 2018, when a fight started with two men over comments the men made to the girls. The fight ended, but the men continued following Johnson and introduced knives into another fight with him. Johnson was killed.
Judge Elizabeth Hruby-Mills said the outcome was unnecessary, and there were so many opportunities for the two men to "do the mature thing" and walk away.
"This is a fight with a kid that stopped and then started again," she said. "It got to be so incredibly bad and senseless."
The judge sentenced Enrique "Ramon" Deloza, 28, to two consecutive terms of one to 15 years in prison for murder and obstruction of justice, second-degree felonies. He got credit for the almost six years he has already spent in jail for this case.
Marcelino's grandmother, who raised him and spoke about her grief during a sentencing for Nicolas Nazario Espana on April 15, couldn't bring herself to come to the second sentencing, according to deputy Salt Lake County attorney Vincent Meister.
Marcelino's sister, Juanita, who did not give her last name, represented her family on Monday, and said her brother, who was 15 when he was killed, was their "pride and joy."
"I can finally say we made it, this is Marcelino's justice," she said.
Juanita said her life has not been the same since her brother died, and she thinks daily about what her life would be like if he were still here.
"I cannot even imagine what he went through that early morning," she said.
Meister said after the first fight ended, Deloza was upset he got bested by a 15-year-old and asked Espana, 33, for a knife before stalking Marcelino down an alley. He said Espana began throwing the rocks, initiating the fight again, and then called Deloza over because he was losing.
He said Deloza "literally tackled" Marcelino and, at that point, the fight was being recorded on video. He said Marcelino "was beat," his body had multiple injuries and bruises.
Meister said blood spatter evidence shows Deloza was the one who stabbed Marcelino.
A friend of Marcelino who watched the murder happen and was held back for a time by Deloza from helping his friend before Espana called him over to help was also not at court, but Meister said the friend was in favor of the maximum sentence.
Espana was sentenced April 15 to two consecutive sentences of one to 15 years in prison for murder and obstruction of justice, second-degree felonies — the same sentence given to Deloza on Monday. Both men were on probation in Nevada and were on the run when they were arrested for these charges, according to Meister.
Deloza apologized on Monday to everyone who had been hurt by his actions, acknowledging it was a lot of people.
"I want to let them know that the weight — it's too much for anybody. It broke my heart, as well. So from the bottom of my heart, if I could give my life for him to change what happened, I would. I'm terribly sorry for what happened and my part in it," he said, adding that he is working, every day, to deal with it and to move forward.
One day, Deloza said he wants to make a positive difference in the world.
His attorney, Steven Shapiro, said Deloza has always communicated remorse and knows he is criminally responsible, but he contests Deloza was the man who fatally stabbed Johnson.
As a defense attorney, he said, this has been the only case where his client said another person would admit to what prosecutors think he died, and that actually happened. He said Espana acknowledges he is the one who stabbed Johnson, and Deloza maintains it was not him.
Both Espana and Deloza were originally charged with murder, a first-degree felony. The charges were reduced to second-degree felonies as part of a plea deal and charges of possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a third-degree felony, were dismissed against both men.
