On the evening of May 31, 2016, 24-year-old Natalia Casagrande was found dead in the basement of her home in Magna, Utah. Her death, initially deemed suspicious, was quickly reclassified as a homicide following an autopsy that revealed she had sustained multiple injuries, including a gunshot wound to the head. At home with her two young daughters, ages one and five, Natalia's husband became concerned when she abruptly stopped responding to his text messages.
He returned home to a heart-wrenching scene: his five-year-old daughter was crying in the living room with marks on her face and neck, and Natalia's body was discovered in a pool of blood downstairs.
The investigation swiftly led police to Jason Alan Black, a 26-year-old man from Kearns who was a regular customer of Natalia's husband for marijuana purchases. On the day of the murder, Black had gone to the Casagrande residence to buy marijuana. After the transaction, he shot Natalia and then proceeded to attack her five-year-old daughter, attempting to suffocate her with a throw pillow. The child survived the attack and was able to identify "J. Black" as the assailant to her father. Black then fled the scene with marijuana, cash, and two handguns.
An accomplice, 24-year-old Estephania Sanchez-Mendoza, acted as the getaway driver for Black. She later admitted to driving Black to the home and then to a hotel, where she rented a room for him and helped him dispose of property taken from the Casagrande residence. A few days after the murder, authorities located Black at his parents' home. When the U.S. Marshals' Violent Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team attempted to arrest him, a gun battle ensued, and Black was shot several times, leading to his hospitalization in critical condition.
Jason Alan Black was charged with aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, aggravated burglary, and aggravated robbery. In a plea deal to avoid the death penalty, Black pleaded guilty to the charges. He was sentenced to 25 years to life for aggravated murder, with additional sentences for the other charges, making him eligible for parole after serving 36 years. Estephania Sanchez-Mendoza was charged with and pleaded guilty to obstructing justice. During the sentencing, Natalia's family expressed their profound grief and the lifelong trauma inflicted upon her surviving daughter.
