Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Joshua Nava has been sentenced to prison for conspiracy to commit murder in the shooting death of Vincent Tijerina.
- Tijerina was shot on Sept. 21, 2024, on the porch of his Ogden home and later died.
- Johnathon Lemus is charged with murder in the matter, and his case is still winding through the courts.
OGDEN — A Millcreek man has been sentenced to prison for conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the 2024 killing of an Ogden man while he was on his porch.
Second District Judge Cristina Ortega sentenced Joshua Nava last week to two terms of one to 15 years in prison for conspiracy to commit murder in Vincent Tijerina's killing and possession of a firearm by a restricted person. Both crimes are second-degree felonies, and the sentences were ordered to run concurrently.
Nava, 30, took part in the killing of Tijerena, 45, in the early morning hours of Sept. 21, 2024.
Tijerina was shot several times as he sat or slept on a porch swing at his home in the 2800 block of Childs Avenue, according to the May 22 statement Nava signed when pleading guilty as part of a deal with prosecutors. Tijerina "stumbled up the stairs and eventually entered the home where he collapsed and where initial EMT aid was rendered," according to the statement.
Johnathon Lemus, 32, is charged with murder, a first-degree felony, and several other charges related to the killing, and his case is still winding through the courts. Ortega ordered that he stand trial on the charges after a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, and no guilty pleas were entered on his behalf.
Court documents don't spell out a motive behind Tijerina's killing. In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the injured man told authorities and medical personnel responding to the incident that "'Johnathon' shot him," according to the police booking affidavit in Lemus' case. Tijerina later died at a hospital.
Authorities reviewed neighborhood surveillance video showing two men walking toward Tijerina's home prior to the shooting, according to the affidavit. They suspect one of the men was Lemus.
In the days after the killing, authorities tracked both men to Las Vegas. Lemus was arrested on Sept. 25, 2024, in the city, and was in possession of the gun used in Tijerina's killing, according to the affidavit. Authorities located Nava on Oct. 31.
The statement Nava signed as part of his plea deal says the man communicated with a friend about the killing. In the exchanges, "Nava was asked if Lemus went with him and he replied, 'Yes it was me and him tha did it.' Nava then told the communicant that 'I was defending myself' and 'I didn't intentionally do that (expletive),'" the document states.
Lemus has a previous felony conviction of unlawful sexual activity with a minor, while Nava was convicted of aggravated assault in 2016 and possession with intent to distribute in 2018.
