- Steven Donovan Carmona, 20, was sentenced to 25 years to life for a triple killing.
- The incident occurred July 23, 2022; officers said it was a targeted killing involving rival gangs.
- Three teenagers were also charged in juvenile court related to the killings; two have been sentenced to secure care until they turn 25.
SALT LAKE CITY — One man has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for his role in a triple killing outside a party in West Jordan.
Steven Donovan Carmona, 20, pleaded guilty to aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, under a plea deal that dismissed two additional counts of aggravated murder, and eight counts of felony discharge of a firearm, one a second-degree felony and the rest third-degree felonies.
Police said the killings were targeted and that he and three others targeted the victims who were rival gang members. In total, 27 shots were fired from multiple guns.
On July 23, 2022, West Jordan police were called to 3355 W. 6920 South, where a large party was being held. Officers found the bodies of Fayzan Ali, 18, Ayash Mohamed, 18, and Mohamed Mohamed, 20, all from Millcreek. Ali was found shot in the driveway, Mohamed Mohamed was shot twice and found in the front yard, and Ayash Mohamed was found shot east of the driveway, according to charging documents.
They were shot by people driving by in a white Cadillac, and others fired back at the Cadillac as it left the scene.
Carmona was sentenced on March 23 — almost four years after the killings. He pleaded guilty last year and later claimed he was coerced because he believed he would remain in a juvenile court facility after his plea, and he was instead moved to the Utah State Prison.
He was also sentenced on March 30 in federal court to 20 years in prison followed by five years of supervision on federal racketeering charges after pleading guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering.
Third District Judge Matthew Bates ordered that the state sentence run concurrent with his federal sentence. If he is released from federal prison he will be transferred to the Utah State Prison for the rest of his sentence. Bates also gave him credit for the almost three years he has been incarcerated.
Three teenagers who police say were in the car with Carmona as he left the party were charged in juvenile court with the same charges as Carmona. Two of those teenagers have since been ordered into secure care in the juvenile system. For both teens, one now 19 and the other 18, 3rd District Juvenile Judge Aaron Flater extended the court's jurisdiction until they are 25 — the maximum sentence possible in juvenile court.
The 19-year-old admitted in July 2024 to three counts of manslaughter, a second-degree felony; all charges for shooting a firearm were dismissed as part of a plea deal. He was sentenced on Sept. 10, 2024, along with the 18-year-old, who pleaded guilty under the same plea deal in August 2024.
The third teenager, now 18, still has charges pending related to the killings in juvenile court. He was initially charged like the others with three counts of murder and eight counts of felony discharge of a firearm.
Charges say police found a white Cadillac with a bullet hole in it near Carmona's apartment. While investigating, police learned Carmona and the other three individuals were searching for members of the rival gang, and a 15-year-old at the party that night was communicating with Carmona before he and the three others who were charged with the killings arrived.
Video footage from the residence shows those four leaving the party shortly before the three victims.
