Guilty of Murder Committed at Midvale Wedding

Today, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced a Third District Court jury
found Guillermo William Herrera, 23, guilty of first-degree felony murder for the death of Oscar Avila Jr. at a Midvale wedding.

On November 6, 2021, the defendant and two codefendants, all associates of the Dogtown gang, crashed a wedding celebration in Midvale. 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 exited, shouting their gang name and arguing with the partygoers. Once outside, one of the codefendants flashed a pistol he had concealed in his waistband. Herrera also produced a handgun, and the married couple's son, Oscar Avila, Jr., rushed him. Herrera was captured on video pistol-whipping Avila before Avila fell to the ground. Herrera fired a single shot at Avila's chest before Herrera and the codefendants fled. Avila died at the scene.

On Friday, August 22, 2025, a Third District Court jury found Herrera 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.

Sentencing for the defendant is scheduled for October 20, 2025.

The cases against the co-defendants, Daniel Brando Garcia and Troy Latorio Kajiyama, are still making their way through the criminal justice system.

"Weddings are meant to be a time of celebration for all those in attendance, and instead the defendant decided to turn this one into a tragedy. Our hearts go out to the family of Mr. Avila and hope that this conviction helps them start to heal from the devastation of his death. This office will aggressively pursue those that make our community less safe with gun violence," said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. "We appreciate the work of our prosecutors, Karissa McKinney and Brad Cooley, as well as our support staff for their years of work on this case and for securing this decisive conviction. We thank the detectives at Unified Police Department for conducting a thorough investigation that helped secure justice for Mr. Avila's family and loved ones."