In the warm evening of July 6, 2016, in a close-knit, predominantly Latino apartment complex in Midvale, Utah, the life of 15-year-old Abril Izazaga was tragically cut short. A dispute, reportedly over a T-shirt, escalated into a violent confrontation that would claim her life and that of her 16-year-old brother, Jose Izazaga. The female teenager was just days away from her sixteenth birthday.
The evening began with a heated argument when a group of people, including 28-year-old Mario
Cervantes-Angel, arrived at the Mill Creek II Apartments to confront the Izazaga siblings. The verbal altercation quickly turned physical. Witnesses reported that Cervantes-Angel grabbed Abril by her hair and slammed her against a brick wall. In a desperate attempt to protect his younger sister, Jose brandished a small knife. This act of defense was met with gunfire.
Cervantes-Angel pulled out a handgun and shot both siblings multiple times. Witnesses horrifically recounted that Abril and Jose were hugging each other as they were shot and fell to the ground together. Abril died at the scene, right in front of her family's apartment window. Her brother, Jose, was rushed to a nearby hospital, but he succumbed to his injuries a short time later. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Cervantes-Angel fled the scene, but not before threatening the others who were with him, warning that they would be next if they spoke to the police.
Thanks to witness accounts from the community, law enforcement officials were able to quickly identify Mario Cervantes-Angel as the primary suspect. He was located and taken into custody the following day without incident. Cervantes-Angel, a Mexican national, was subsequently charged with two counts of first-degree felony aggravated murder, along with other charges. In July 2017, to avoid a potential death penalty, he pleaded guilty to the murders. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for his role in the senseless deaths of the two teenage siblings. Another man, who had initially started the argument, turned himself in to the police but was later released from custody.
