Denver Man Sentenced to 48 Years for Murder of 14-Year-Old Boy
A Denver man has been sentenced to 48 years in prison for the murder of a 14-year-old boy in 2022, as per court records.
Diego Lopez, 19, was sentenced by Denver District Court Judge Karen Brody on Friday to 48 years in prison, with a credit of two years and 293 days for time served, according to court documents.
Lopez, who was 16 at the time of the crime, shot Josiaz “JoJo” Aragon in the back and then proceeded to pistol-whip, beat, and stab the young boy. Aragon was just days away from his 15th birthday.
During the sentencing hearing, Lopez was also ordered to pay $10,000 to Aragon’s family, as stated in court records.
The body of Aragon was discovered at a baseball field near Denver’s Southwest Recreation Center on August 8, 2022.
It was revealed that the two teenagers knew each other from school and had arranged to meet at the baseball field for a gun sale, where Lopez committed the heinous act by shooting Aragon in the back.
Lopez, who was charged as an adult, accepted a plea deal and pleaded guilty in April to one count of second-degree murder in connection to Aragon’s death.
This deal resulted in the dropping of multiple charges against Lopez, including murder, aggravated robbery, tampering with evidence, and weapons charges, along with the dismissal of two violent crime sentence enhancers.
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