Estimated read time: 3-4 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 Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information.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.
WEST JORDAN — The tear-shaped tattoo on Jonathan Hunt's face to signify that he killed Arlene Armijo's son is "a slap in the face," the grieving mother said, not remorse.
"I will never be able to get hugs and kisses from my son. I'll never be able to see him graduate from college or get married or have a life," Armijo said Tuesday at Hunt's sentencing hearing. "You've taken my only son, and my daughter's only sibling."
Her son, Noe Armijo-Luna, 20, was shot and killed at a West Jordan Rancherito's restaurant five years ago.
Hunt, 23, was found guilty in November of murdering Armijo-Luna after a jury decided Hunt did not act in self-defense. During the two minutes Hunt was at the restaurant he fired a gun at Armijo-Luna twice, prosecutors said.
Multiple eyewitnesses spoke at trial about the events that led up to the shooting, which included a dispute between Hunt's friend and Armijo-Luna.
Armijo said coming to court for the last five years, almost every month, has forced her family to relive the tragic death of her son. She said although Hunt claims he was in fear of losing his life when he fired the gun, in gang culture you don't get a tattoo for being afraid for your life.
"I feel like he definitely needs to serve the full time to 'grow up,' as he says, because right now I don't see that. I see someone trying to save themself," Armijo said after listening to Hunt apologize to his family and her family.
Before sentencing Hunt to at least 20 years in prison — 15 years to life for murder and five years to life for felony discharge of a firearm, both first-degree felonies — 3rd District Judge William Kendall told Hunt he hopes each time he looks in the mirror, that tattoo reminds him that he took the life of a kind, caring and loving person.
"There's nothing more grave or more serious than taking the life of somebody else. ... That is final, that is decisive, that is something that you cannot take back," he said.
A sister, uncle and cousin of Armijo-Luna also spoke at Tuesday's hearing. They shared memories of Armijo-Luna and said if Hunt had not acted so quickly, their family member would have listened to his struggles.
Hunt's attorney, Sue Crismon, said her client has ambitious goals while in prison and after he is released; he wants to graduate from high school, go to college and become a counselor to help children in the juvenile justice system.
"He did actually believe that he was in danger, but that doesn't diminish his remorse," she said.
Hunt apologized for the pain he caused to everyone in the courtroom, "especially the decedent's family." He acknowledged he "took somebody's life" and said the scenario could have gone a lot of different ways.
Although Hunt has maintained he acted in self-defense, Kendall said he doesn't believe that version of events and that Hunt has not taken responsibility for his crimes.
"I don't know why you did it," the judge said. "There was no good reason for what you did; there was no justifiable reason for what you did."
