Former gang member who killed Utah postal worker seeks parole after 25 years

A former gang member from Los Angeles who shot and killed a postal worker in Utah and then shot at others who tried to help the victim is seeking parole from the Utah State Prison after 25 years.

A former gang member from Los Angeles who shot and killed a postal worker in Utah and then shot at others who tried to help the victim is seeking parole from the Utah State Prison after 25 years. (Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

UTAH STATE PRISON — A former gang member who claims he was high on drugs when he went on a violent path of destruction 25 years ago is now seeking parole for crimes that include killing a postal worker on I-15, shooting at two people who tried to help the victim, trying to run another woman off the road, threatening to kill his ex-roommate and leading police on a high speed chase.

On May 21, 1997, Jose Garcia-Miramontes said he was high on acid when he sideswiped Lee W. Parker, 49, a father of five, on the 7200 South onramp to I-15 as Parker was driving to his early morning shift at the U.S. Post Office. After forcing him off the road, Garcia-Miramontes shot Parker, drove a short distance, then went back and shot him several more times. Parker was hit three times, including an execution-style bullet to the temple.

Garcia-Miramontes then shot at two more people who had stopped to help Parker. Those people were not injured.

As Garcia-Miramontes drove away from that scene, he tailgated another woman and attempted to force her off the road. He then went to the home of a former roommate and tried to get a knife so he could kill her, according to the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole. The woman was not injured.

After leaving that residence, Garcia-Miramontes stole a vehicle and led police on a high speed chase for about 10 miles before being arrested in Fillmore.

In 1998, Garcia-Miramontes was convicted of aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder. At sentencing, prosecutor Robert Stott said that if not for the wishes of Parker's widow, the state would have sought the death penalty. He was instead sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

On Tuesday, Garcia-Miramontes, now 45, appeared before the pardons board for the first time.

During his hearing, he talked about growing up as a gang member in Los Angeles and how he moved to Utah to try and change his life.

"I was trying to work and do good. ... It wasn't like I came out here to carry on with the gang stuff," he said.

But Garcia-Miramontes was still an active gang member at the time of the killing and remained a gang member for several years after being sent to prison.

On the day of shooting, he said he was feeling down because of struggles in his life and decided to take acid. Garcia-Miramontes claims it was the only time in his life he's used hard drugs. Once the drugs took effect, he said all he remembers about that day was a feeling of paranoia and not knowing what was real and what wasn't.

"I remember leaving the house where I was at and people I was with trying to stop me," he said. "I just remember being on the freeway and seeing things that weren't actually there."

In his mind, Garcia-Miramontes said he thought Parker and the motorists who stopped to help him were enemies.

"I thought I was running into rival gang members of mine," he said. "They weren't who I thought in my mind that they were."

But during his hearing, Garcia-Miramontes also stated several times that he only remembers portions of his crimes. He doesn't remember trying to run another woman off the road or asking for a knife to kill his former roommate.

"I couldn't explain to you how I got to her house," he said.

While fleeing from police, he said all he can remember about that moment is having the overwhelming feeling that "I had to go see my mom for some reason," he told the board. His mother lived in California.

Garcia-Miramontes gave several fractured answers to the board's questions on Tuesday, saying he couldn't remember much of what happened. He said he does not believe he has a drug problem and today is no longer a gang member.

"I have nothing to do with them now," he said. "I just wanted to be done with it. ... I just don't look at life like that no more."

He said of the 23 disciplinary violations he had between 1999 and 2020 while incarcerated, most of those violations were when he first arrived and was still adjusting. Garcia-Miramontes said he would now like the chance to be paroled.

"I was young and I was dumb," he said of his past actions. "I'd like to think I'm wiser … more patient, humble. I'm not what I used to be."

No one from Parker's family spoke at the hearing. The full five-member board will now vote on whether to grant parole.

Most recent Utah police and courts stories

Related topics

Utah police and courtsSalt Lake CountyUtahPolice & Courts
Pat Reavy is a longtime police and courts reporter. He joined the KSL.com team in 2021, after many years of reporting at the Deseret News and KSL NewsRadio before that.

STAY IN THE KNOW

Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

KSL Weather Forecast