BRIGHAM CITY — A Los Angeles man who gunned down a motorist driving from Salt Lake City to Boise and also shot and injured a passenger in the same car has been ordered to serve at least 25 years in the Utah State Prison.

Jonathan Mendoza Llana, 49, pleaded guilty and mentally ill to murder, attempted murder and two counts of a felony discharge of a firearm, all first-degree felonies, as part of a plea deal in April.

First District Judge Brandon Maynard sentenced Llana Tuesday to term of 15 years to life in prison for murder, a term of three years to life for attempted murder and two terms of five years to life for each charge of a felony discharge of a firearm.

All sentences were ordered to run consecutively except for the attempted murder sentence, which will run concurrently to the others. Llana will serve a minimum of 25 years in prison.

Llana also owes $18,113.88 in restitution fees, plus interest, to the Utah Office for Victims of Crime.

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Dennis Rowley Gwyther, 50, and a passenger were driving to Idaho on I-84 on May 22, 2019. They were near Snowville in the Rattlesnake Pass area and had just gotten around a slowdown in traffic caused by a semitrailer passing another big rig when police say a Volkswagen Jetta pulled up next to them and Llana opened fire. Investigators say he fired multiple shots at the vehicle and Gwyther died at the scene.

Llana also shot and injured Gwyther's passenger, who survived.

Investigators called it an unprovoked shooting and a "senseless act of violence." They were baffled by a lack of motive and said there was no indication the shooting was prompted by road rage or a hate crime.

Gwyther was a DJ and a flight attendant for SkyWest based out of Boise and was commuting there for his job when he was killed, according to family members.

Prosecutors in Box Elder County previously filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty for Llana, which was later dropped. The case was also slowed due to uncertainty surrounding Llana's mental state, as he was found incompetent to stand trial and ordered to undergo treatment at Utah's State Hospital to try to restore competency.

Four counts of a felony discharge of a firearm, a first-degree felony were dismissed in exchange for Llana's other pleas.

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