Buk Muwat Buk, the man accused of murdering University of Utah football player Aaron Lowe, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree felony murder and one count of first-degree felony attempted murder on Monday.
According to Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, Buk also pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of a lady hurt in the shooting on September 26, 2021.
Buk Pleads Guilty to Murder Charges
The police opened fire multiple times when the two got into a heated disagreement after the football player asked Buk's friends to move their car.
The court filings claimed that bystanders watched in terror as Buk kept shooting at Lowe and Fuamoli Pomale as they lay on the ground bleeding.
Buk faces a mandatory minimum term of 15 years to life in Utah State Prison at his April 29 sentencing hearing. The judge dismissed additional counts of obstruction of justice and possession of a weapon by a restricted person since the defendant was already on probation.
Gill said on Monday that though perfect justice would mean that Lowe was alive. He claimed that the other victim did not have to live with injuries that would last a lifetime, and they hoped this conviction would help the loved ones of Lowe and the second victim feel they have received some measure of justice.
The sophomore cornerback's death came less than a year after his teammate Ty Jordan passed away on Christmas Eve, 2020, from an unintentional self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Before moving to Utah to play football, the two were teammates and high school friends in Mesquite, Texas. Following the running back's passing, Lowe changed his college jersey to Jordan's No. 22, and he became the first person to receive a memorial scholarship named in his honor.
Nine months or so after Jordan's passing, an off-campus house party intended to celebrate the Utes' victory over Washington State descended into violence, leaving the university community mourning the loss of another member. The police said Buk was among the uninvited people who entered the private party and started causing commotion.
Lowe and Pomale attempted to leave the celebration just after midnight, but another motorist blocked their vehicle. According to court documents, Buk crossed the street to retrieve a gun from another man and began shooting as they were arguing with a group of men who refused to move their car.
Furthermore, Lowe passed away at the scene. The Utah State Medical Examiner's Office released the autopsy, which revealed that four bullets had been retrieved from his body.
Pomale was shot multiple times in the neck and chest, but she survived after undergoing emergency surgery.
When Buk was caught in Draper that October, he had previously served two years of probation for robberies, one of which involved robbing a parent and daughter at gunpoint. When Buk was taken into custody for the shootings, Salt Lake City police stated that he had an "extensive violent criminal history" that began at least in 2017.
Ex-College Football Star Shoots Mother
A former football player shot and killed his mother after he mistook her for an intruder in their Missouri home.
On Thursday night, Jaylen Johnson opened fire on his mother, Monica McNichols-Johnson, 56, when she attempted to enter the house in the St. Louis suburb of Olivette.
Despite Johnson's girlfriend's best efforts to assist her after being shot, McNichols-Johnson passed away at the residence.
Following his mother's shooting, Johnson's lawyer, William Goldstein, claimed that his client contacted 911 right away and has been distraught ever since.
"He's still crying," Goldstein said.
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