Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah judge on Thursday sent a man to prison for the rest of his life for killing two women two years apart, in 2006 and 2008, and for killing the unborn boy of the first woman.
Third District Judge Kara Pettit said Juan Antonio Arreola-Murillo acted with "extreme cruelty and depravity" when ending these three lives. Without his actions, the unborn boy would now be 16, she said.
"These crimes were egregious and the word depraved is applicable. The fact that you knew them makes it even more egregious and aggravating," she said. "Your conduct is characterized by extreme cruelty and depravity."
The judge said he knew the women caused no harm to him, and she does not believe claims that he did not understand what he was doing. Petit said he harmed not only the women but their entire families.
Pettit sentenced Arreola-Murillo, 42, to three terms of 20 years to life in prison for three counts of aggravated murder and ordered those sentences to be served consecutively, meaning his sentence is 60 years to life in prison. The judge also said she will recommend that the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole never allow him to become eligible for parole.
Arreola-Murillo pleaded guilty on June 12 to three counts of aggravated murder, a first-degree felony. In exchange for his pleas, charges of aggravated robbery and two counts of aggravated burglary, first-degree felonies, were dismissed.
How Arreola-Murillo knew his victims
The murders of Sonia Mejia, 29, who was six months pregnant, and Damiana Castillo, 57, occurred exactly two years apart.
Mejia was strangled on Feb. 9, 2006, after Arreola-Murillo unlawfully entered her Taylorsville home. His actions resulted in the death of her unborn child, as well. Castillo was murdered on the same date in 2008, about five blocks away from the scene of the first murder. Arreola-Murillo also strangled her while committing a burglary.
The charges were filed in February 2010 against a "John Doe" who was identified through DNA. Charges were later amended in April 2017, and Arreola-Murillo was found and arrested on Feb. 7, 2022.
Deputy Salt Lake County attorney Vincent Meister said Arreola-Murillo knew both of the victims through his sister. He went to church with Castillo and had been to her home for dinner.
Meister said Arreola-Murillo initially told officers in Mexico he was on drugs and did not remember the murders, but he eventually placed himself at the scene and admitted to the killings. However, Arreola-Murillo did not give any explanation for them occurring on the same date and denied knowing anything about the objects that were stolen from the homes.
The prosecutor, however, said no reason that he would give could make sense of the situation, but there were enough details to show the man was more aware than he wants to admit.
Meister said Mejia was found naked from the waist down, and DNA on a Coke bottle, a bag of Cheetos and a neckerchief used as a gag matched Arreola-Murillo. He said an eyewitness also saw Arreola-Murillo talking to Mejia at her door, punch her and then shove her inside. The witness thought it was only a domestic dispute and reported it as such.
He said Castillo is believed to have been strangled with a cord from her own sweatshirt, and his DNA was found on her wallet. Meister said both crime scenes were chaotic.
The attorney said the death penalty was initially a consideration in the case but was taken off of the table when Arreola-Murillo was extradited from Mexico, after being arrested for carjacking. He said the families want to ensure that Arreola-Murillo will never be able to hurt someone else the same way.
'Now he's facing justice'
Although the crimes occurred 15 years and 17 years ago, the families of the victims are still very much affected.
Through a translator, Mejia's sisters spoke Thursday about what it was like to lose their sister and their nephew. Maricruz Mejia Silva said it is still hard knowing their sister and her nephew will never return.
"It was a big deal, and we'll never be able to overcome it," she said.
Norma Mejia said her sister was her friend and confidant, and said she still thinks of the day she passed her sister's home and saw the police there and a body taken out wrapped in sheets.
"Up to today I cannot understand why this person did harm to her, because she wouldn't harm anyone," she said.
Norma Mejia said Arreola-Murillo was living next to her sister's apartment and knew she was pregnant and when she would be alone — but that there was no reason to do what he did.
"Now he's facing justice, and I hope, I pray to God that he receives the punishment that he deserves," she said.
Norma Gomez Castillo, the daughter of Damiana Castillo, said it is hard to be without her mom, whom she described as very kind. She said there are many grandchildren who will never get to meet their grandmother in person.
"I know she's in a better place, but it wasn't the right way for her to be there," she said through a translator.
She expressed gratitude to be getting some justice for her mother, as well as for the people who continued investigating the cold case to ensure Arreola-Murillo could not do more harm.
Isaias Gomez Jr. said he was 7 years old when he lost his grandmother; he's now 23. He remembered her as someone who exemplified the definition of a grandmother: loving, caring and protecting. He expressed sorrow that his grandmother wasn't there for his birthdays, his wedding and to see her great-grandchildren.
"She was my best friend," Gomez Jr. said.
Arreola-Murillo said a few words at the sentencing through a translator, expressing remorse to the families. He also asked them to someday forgive him.
