On a summer night in Magna, Utah, the life of 17-year-old William "Will" Ryan was tragically cut short. On August 19, 2017, the White male was outside his home with a friend when a car approached. Multiple gunshots were fired from the vehicle in a drive-by shooting. Ryan, who was sitting on the hood of a parked car, was struck in the head and died at the scene.
Another 17-year-old who was inside the car was also injured but survived.
The investigation into the shooting, which authorities quickly identified as gang-related, led them to a suspect also aged 17. Just days after the incident, on August 25, 2017, Unified Police arrested a teen with known gang affiliations in connection with the homicide. The suspect was taken into custody after a white Volkswagen Jetta, believed to be the vehicle used in the drive-by, was found and seized. He was subsequently booked into the Salt Lake Valley Juvenile Detention Center on multiple charges, including murder and aggravated assault.
The legal proceedings that followed revealed the identity of the shooter as Javier Saldana-Ibarra, who was 17 at the time of the crime. After a lengthy seven-day trial, a jury convicted the now 24-year-old Saldana-Ibarra in November 2023. He was found guilty of first-degree felony murder, as well as multiple counts of felony discharge of a firearm, with all charges including gang enhancements. In February 2024, Saldana-Ibarra was sentenced to 16 years to life in the Utah State Prison for the murder of William Ryan.
During the sentencing, Ryan's family shared the profound and lasting impact of his death. His mother, Melody Ryan, described the time since her son's murder as an "endless nightmare" and spoke of the indescribable agony her family endures. The family had to relocate because their home had become a "horror scene." William's father, Corey Ryan, remembered his son as a loyal individual with a future full of promise and aspirations of becoming a mechanic. He also mentioned that his son had wanted to distance himself from his gang association. While Javier Saldana-Ibarra offered condolences at his sentencing, he also indicated plans to appeal his conviction.
