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SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake man has pleaded guilty to obstructing the investigation of a 2014 killing that remains unsolved.
Nathan Andrew Johnson, 37, pleaded guilty July 1 to two counts of obstructing justice, a class A misdemeanor, and was sentenced the same day to jail. Johnson was ordered to serve consecutive one-year sentences for the charges, with 264 days credit for time already served.
Johnson was originally charged with one second-degree felony count of obstruction in the murder investigation of 18-year-old Gustavo Jarquin, who was found shot on a Glendale street corner Sept. 18, 2014.
Since the homicide, no arrests have been made except for Johnson. Police confirmed Monday that the investigation into Jarquin's death remains open but has stalled.
In pleas for information about the case, family members called Jarquin a role model for other Latino youth, describing his efforts overcoming attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and going on to volunteer as a soccer and basketball coach.
Among the initial wave of tips that came in following the shooting, investigators were told the gun used to kill Jarquin may have been hidden in Johnson's backyard, charging documents state.
In October 2014, police spoke with Johnson, who denied knowing Jarquin or anything about the homicide, charges state. When officers asked for Johnson's phone number, he claimed he didn't have a cellphone.
Johnson again insisted he didn't know Jarquin when police spoke to him later that month and in July 2015.
In court documents filed in conjunction with Johnson's plea, prosecutors said the fact that Johnson did, in fact, have a phone and knew Jarquin were "material aspects of the investigation."
An acquaintance of both Jarquin and Johnson told police she received a ride from the two men in Johnson's car the night before Jarquin was found dead, according to charging documents. The woman told police Jarquin was riding in the front seat of Johnson's "little silver car" that night and that Johnson called Jarquin "the homie."
A silver Mitsubishi Galant was registered to Johnson at the time of the shooting, according to police. Witnesses told police they saw a light-colored sedan parked on the corner where Jarquin was shot just a few hours before his body was found.
Police also obtained recordings of calls between Johnson and his wife, who was in the Salt Lake County Jail around the time police first spoke with Johnson. In the recordings, Johnson told his wife he had told "them" he didn't have a cellphone because he had given it to his daughter, according to court documents.
Police attempted to get records from Johnson's cellphone but they were no longer available, charges state.
Anyone who may have any information about Jarquin's death is asked call Salt Lake police at 801-799-3000.
