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ST. GEORGE — A St. George man pleaded guilty to murder Wednesday and was sentenced to prison the same day.
Mario Lucero, 33, pleaded guilty to the first-degree felony charge as part of a resolution with prosecutors, where two counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief were dropped.
Lucero was charged in May 2013 in connection with the fatal assault of St. George resident Jeramy Shawn Olsen, 31.
Lucero was also sentenced Wednesday to serve 15 years to life in the Utah State Prison and to pay a $10,000 fine.
Olsen suffered a severe head injury from an altercation with Lucero on Feb. 15, 2013, and died in a hospital the next day. Police issued a warrant for Lucero's arrest and considered him to be armed and dangerous, suspecting him of gang activity.
Two days after Olsen's death, California police arrested Lucero after he was found in Pico Rivera, just east of Los Angeles. Police identified him after responding to complaints that he was banging on hotel doors and asking to be let inside.
Lucero is a "habitual violent offender" and has a lengthy criminal history, according to charging documents. A search of court records indicates that since 2000, he has pleaded guilty to burglary of a vehicle and multiple assault charges. Charges of theft, robbery, burglary, kidnapping and criminal mischief against Lucero were dismissed.
