In the early morning hours of September 22, 2019, the life of 29-year-old Hispanic male Lazaro Nieves Morales of Springville, Utah, was tragically cut short. His body was discovered near a train overpass in the vicinity of 1600 South and State Route 89, bearing the fatal wounds of multiple gunshots. One of the bullets had pierced his heart, resulting in an almost instantaneous death.
The scene of the crime was marked by the presence of freshly sprayed white graffiti and tire tracks left in the wet paint, clues that would prove crucial in the ensuing investigation.
The evening prior to the discovery of his body, Lazaro had been in the company of Victor Hugo Contreras-Nathanson, a 26-year-old man from the nearby town of Payson. The two had spent the night at Lazaro's residence, where they consumed both alcohol and cocaine. In the pre-dawn hours of the following day, they made their way to the train overpass with the intention of leaving their mark on a concrete pillar with spray paint, an activity commonly known as "tagging." It was during this act that Lazaro was shot at least four times, his life ending in a sudden burst of violence.
The investigation into Lazaro's death quickly pointed towards Contreras-Nathanson as a person of interest. Surveillance footage from Lazaro's home showed him leaving with Contreras-Nathanson in a dark maroon sedan. When investigators located Contreras-Nathanson, they found his vehicle, a maroon Nissan, with remnants of white paint on the tires of the passenger side, a detail that matched the tire impressions found at the crime scene. He had enlisted the help of his neighbors in Spanish Fork to meticulously clean the vehicle, a process that reportedly took several hours to remove all traces of the white paint. When questioned by authorities, Contreras-Nathanson initially claimed to have no memory of the events of that night, attributing his blackout to the heavy consumption of alcohol, cocaine, and methamphetamine. However, he did concede that it was possible he was the one who had shot Lazaro.
The investigation also led to the arrest of a second individual, 31-year-old Francisco Topete Hernandez of Spanish Fork. He was charged with obstruction of justice and other offenses for his role in cleaning Contreras-Nathanson's car after the murder. Hernandez claimed he was cleaning the car because Contreras-Nathanson's anniversary was approaching, but the extensive nature of the cleaning raised suspicions. A search of Hernandez's residence uncovered a sawed-off shotgun, a. 22 revolver, and marijuana. Victor Hugo Contreras-Nathanson was ultimately charged with murder, a first-degree felony, along with obstructing justice, possession of a firearm by a restricted person, and two counts of drug possession. The case painted a grim picture of a night of reckless indulgence that spiraled into a senseless act of violence, leaving a family to mourn the loss of a young man whose life was taken far too soon.
