In the late hours of February 23, 2015, the life of 34-year-old Steven Carroll Ferguson, a Caucasian male, was cut short on a street in Ogden, Utah. Neighbors on the 3500 block of Jackson Avenue were startled by the sound of gunshots and discovered Ferguson's body lying in the street. He had been shot twice with a. 357 magnum revolver, once in the arm and once in the lower back.
The investigation into Ferguson's death led police to Isaac Daniel Duran, a 24-year-old man who was not
immediately apprehended at the scene. It wasn't until October 2015 that an arrest was made. DNA evidence found at the location of the shooting linked Duran to the crime. A subsequent search of his home uncovered a gun that matched the weapon used to kill Ferguson.
The motive behind the violent encounter was complex. Both Ferguson and Duran were members of the same gang, the Ogden Trece. During the altercation, while Duran fatally shot Ferguson, he also sustained a significant stab wound to his abdomen. A knife found nearby had Ferguson's fingerprints and Duran's blood on it, suggesting a mutual struggle. This element of self-defense, or "imperfect self-defense," played a crucial role in the legal proceedings that followed.
Initially charged with first-degree felony murder, Isaac Daniel Duran ultimately pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter. He also pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a restricted person and two counts of discharging a firearm. In court, Duran expressed remorse, stating he was scared for his life and considered Ferguson a "brother." However, Ferguson's family refuted this sentiment, with his adult son stating, "If someone's your brother, you don't put a bullet in his back." In April 2016, Duran was sentenced to a maximum of 15 years in the Utah State Prison, with the judge ordering his multiple sentences to run concurrently. The judge, in his sentencing, dismissed the idea that the act was a mistake, telling Duran, "You took the life of an individual. That was your choice."
