In the early morning hours of September 18, 2014, the life of Gustavo Jarquin, an 18-year-old Hispanic male from Salt Lake City, was tragically cut short. A customer on their way to a local market in the Poplar Grove neighborhood discovered his body just after 7:30 a.m., lying face down in the grass on a street corner at Indiana Avenue and Pueblo Street. Responding medical crews confirmed he was deceased, and police investigators soon determined he had been shot and killed.
The authorities were unsure how long he had been there before being found.
The news sent ripples of grief through his community. Jarquin was a recent high school graduate who was enrolled at Salt Lake Community College with dreams of becoming a psychologist. He was remembered as a soft-spoken and very fine young man who dedicated his time to others, volunteering as a basketball and soccer coach for over 150 local children and serving as a mentor through a university volunteer program. Family and friends described him as a role model who was doing the right thing with his life. Police confirmed they did not believe he was involved in any gang activity. In the weeks that followed, his heartbroken parents made a public plea for justice, not revenge, asking anyone with even the smallest piece of information to come forward.
The Salt Lake City police investigation led them to interview numerous individuals. Early on, they located and questioned a person of interest, but he was cleared and not considered a suspect. The case grew cold, but about a year later, in September 2015, a break came when authorities arrested 37-year-old Nathan Andrew Johnson in California. He was charged with obstruction of justice in connection with Jarquin's death. Investigators had received information that the murder weapon might be hidden in Johnson's backyard. An acquaintance told police that Jarquin had been a passenger in Johnson's silver sedan the night before his body was discovered, and that Johnson had referred to Jarquin as "the homie." When initially questioned, Johnson had denied knowing Jarquin or having a cellphone.
Ultimately, Johnson was not charged with murder. In July 2016, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of obstructing the investigation and was sentenced to jail for time he had already served. To this day, the homicide of Gustavo Jarquin remains unsolved. No one has been arrested for his murder, and the investigation, while still open, has stalled, leaving his family and community still waiting for answers and for justice to be served.
