Last night, a Third District Court jury convicted Jonathan Montrail Johnson for the March 9, 2021 murder of Alonso Garcia-Mendoza. In addition to the fatal shooting of Mr. Garcia-Mendoza, two other people in his car were shot as well. One of those passengers was taken to the hospital with two collapsed lungs after being shot in the chest.
The jury convicted Mr. Johnson of first-degree felony murder, three counts of first-degree felony discharge of a firearm, first-degree felony aggravated robbery, two counts of second-degree felony discharge of a firearm, and six counts of third-degree felony discharge of a firearm.
Mr. Johnson’s sentencing is scheduled for November 27, 2023.
In May of this year, one of Mr. Johnson’s co-defendants, Shihab Wesaga, was also convicted for his involvement in the robbery and shooting. In July, a judge sentenced Mr. Wesaga to multiple consecutive prison terms in July.
"When the jury convicted Mr. Johnson on all charges, they sent a powerful message that we will not tolerate gun violence in Salt Lake County. This verdict reflects our unwavering commitment to justice and serves as a step towards healing for the victims' families,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. “I would like to thank our prosecutors Rick Pehrson, Morgan Vedejs, and their support staff for their dedication and hard work on this case. In addition, I would like to thank our social worker Cami Heng, from our victim support services division, for working with the families on this case. I would like to thank Unified Police Detective Dane Cannavo for his dedication to this case for two years. Detective Cannavo and his colleagues’ work was imperative to ensuring Mr. Johnson’s conviction.”