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SANDY — A West Jordan boy who had recently turned 16 when police say he fatally stabbed a Jordan High School student is being charged as an adult.
Christopher Cazares De la Rosa was charged Wednesday in 3rd District Court with murder, a first-degree felony, and two counts of obstructing justice, a second-degree felony. De la Rosa turned 16 less than two weeks before the killing.
De la Rosa is accused of stabbing and killing Kian Hamilton, 16, of Sandy, a freshman at Jordan High and a member of the baseball team, during a fight in the Mountain American Expo Center parking lot, at 9575 S. State Street, on Aug. 23.
"Two groups (were) involved in a fight in the parking lot" and De la Rosa and a friend had had a "beef" with Kian and his group of friends for about a year, according to charging documents. One of Kian's friends told police that "members of De la Rosa's friend group jumped Kian previously and that had caused tension between them. (The friend) stated he had planned to fight with (De la Rosa's friend) to settle things."
Another witness told police that De la Rosa and his friends went to the Jordan High School football game that night knowing there would be a fight at the nearby Mountain America Expo parking lot afterward.
Kian's friend said he and De la Rosa's friend were the only two who were supposed to fight. But, after the confrontation, "several other fights broke out," the charges state.
"De la Rosa threw a rock at (Kian) and then De la Rosa and (Kian) started fighting when De la Rosa pulled out a knife from his waistband and stabbed (Kian)," according to the charges.
One witness heard Kian tell De la Rosa, "You don't even know me" just before De la Rosa stabbed him, the charges state.
After De la Rosa was taken into custody by police and told he was going to be arrested for murder, he allegedly said, "'He died?' and asked the detective if he was joking and made comments about ruining his future."
Police say De la Rosa also made a gang reference during the fight that ties him to the same gang prosecutors say was involved in the killing of an 18-year-old man in the parking lot at the Mt. Olympus trailhead and has ties to a triple-killing in West Jordan in 2022.
"(De la Rosa) is associated with documented ... gang members. Members of the ... gang have been involved in committing multiple violent crimes across the county. Moreover, (De la Rosa) has participated in multiple fights and had no hesitation in using a weapon. (He) disposed of the weapon and instructed multiple people to delete their cellphone recordings of the fight," charging documents state.
