In the early morning hours of July 5, 2016, a summer night of teenage mischief turned deadly for 16-year-old Paris Guston in Salt Lake City, Utah. The young man, known for his infectious smile and witty humor, was riding in a car with two friends in the Fairpark neighborhood. As part of a prank, the group was driving around and throwing eggs at various people and vehicles.
One of these eggs, thrown by Paris from the front passenger seat, went through the open window of another car and struck the driver, a man named Fortunato Villagrana.
What began as a youthful prank quickly escalated into a fatal act of retaliation. Enraged by being hit with the egg, Villagrana drove to his home and retrieved an AK-47. With his associate, Martin Antonio Cruz, behind the wheel, the pair set off in pursuit of the teenagers' vehicle. Upon locating the car carrying Paris, Villagrana leaned out of his passenger window and fired multiple shots into the teens' vehicle from just a foot away. Paris was struck in the head and back, and he tragically died at the scene.
The investigation into the senseless killing of Paris Guston spanned several years and crossed international borders. Martin Antonio Cruz, the driver of the vehicle, was arrested in February 2017 and subsequently charged with murder. The alleged shooter, Fortunato Villagrana, fled to Mexico to evade capture. For years, Paris's mother, Ashley Carter, relentlessly pursued justice for her son, even using social media to generate leads in Mexico.
Her efforts eventually paid off when a tip led authorities to Villagrana's location. He was arrested in Mexico and, after a lengthy extradition process, was returned to Salt Lake City in January 2022. Villagrana was booked into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail and charged with one count of murder and three counts of felony discharge of a firearm, bringing a measure of resolution to a case that began with a teenage prank and ended in a devastating loss of life.
