- Joseph Marquez, 64, was found guilty of murder after shooting Nickolas Parks in 2022.
- The incident followed an argument after Parks girlfriend asked for a cigarette at a Salt Lake City motel.
- Marquez's sentencing is set for Aug. 6; a man charges say brought him a gun and drove him from the scene is also charged.
SALT LAKE CITY — A jury found a man guilty of murder after police said he shot another man in the head while walking away from an argument about a cigarette.
Joseph Marquez, 64, was found guilty of murder, a first-degree felony, and obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony. The verdict was reached on June 4 after less than three hours of deliberations and two days of testimony.
The trial began on June 2, and at the start Marquez represented himself. He gave the opening statement and questioned the first witness, before being admonished by the court and then asking for his attorney, Lance Bastian, to take over as counsel.
After jurors found him guilty of murder, they heard additional arguments for a separate charge, and the jury deliberated for just over an hour before finding Marquez not guilty of possession of a weapon by a restricted person, a second-degree felony. The jury did find during the second deliberation period that Marquez was a "habitual violent offender," meaning his sentence could be enhanced.
On Oct 11, 2022, Nickolas Parks and his girlfriend were staying at Wasatch Inn, 1416 S. State Street, and the girlfriend knocked on Marquez's door looking for a cigarette. Marquez swore at the woman, and a verbal argument began, which Parks joined, charging documents state.
Parks and the woman left and found a cigarette from another woman. While they were in that woman's room, Marquez knocked and said, "Come out here, I got a hot one for you," and the couple left the room and began arguing with Marquez again.
Charges say when Parks was leaving that argument, Marquez shot him in the head. He died a few days later at a hospital.
Tommy Glasker was seen on security camera footage arriving at the motel, handing Marquez something in a white bag and driving away with Marquez after the shooting.
Marquez was arrested later at Glasker's apartment in Salt Lake City.
Glasker, 75, was charged with possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, transaction of a firearm as a restricted person, and two counts of obstruction of justice, second-degree felonies. His case is scheduled for a hearing on July 10.
Marquez will be sentenced on Aug. 6.
A fourth charge against Marquez of obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony, was dismissed by prosecutors in April 2024.
