A Utah man crashed a couple’s wedding, got into an argument with guests, and then shot and killed the newlyweds’ son as he tried to defend himself.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office announced that Guillermo William Herrera was found guilty by a jury of first-degree felony murder on Aug. 22. The charges are connected to the Nov. 6, 2021 shooting death of Oscar Avila Jr. at his parents’ wedding.
Prosecutors said Herrera, 23, and two other men allegedly linked to the Dogtown gang crashed the Avilas’ wedding. They got into a fight with partygoers after “friends and family of the couple confronted the codefendants and ordered them to leave.”
“Herrera exited the building and was waiting outside when the codefendants came out, shouting their gang name and arguing with the partygoers,” the district attorney’s office said. “Once outside, one of the codefendants showed a pistol he had hidden in his waistband. Herrera also pulled out a handgun, and the married couple’s son, Oscar Avila Jr., rushed him.”
The district attorney’s office said Herrera was caught on video pistol-whipping Avila before he fell to the ground. Then, Herrera “fired a single shot at Avila’s chest before Herrera and the codefendants fled.”
Avila Jr. died at the wedding, which was held in Midvale, Utah, about 10 miles south of Salt Lake City.
Herrera was found guilty of first-degree felony murder, second-degree felony possession of a firearm by a restricted person, second-degree felony obstructing justice, and third-degree felony aggravated assault. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 20, according to the district attorney’s office.
Local KSL reported Herrera had previously received two concurrent prison sentences of zero-to-five years for a 2020 shooting that left another man paralyzed. Herrera pleaded guilty to obstructing justice and felony discharge of a firearm in that case.
