A man who was charged with murder 12 years ago in juvenile court now faces the same charge in adult court.
WEST VALLEY CITY — A man who was charged with murder 12 years ago in juvenile court now faces the same charge in adult court.
But the man hasn’t been located since the original charge was filed in 2005.
Angel Ortiz, 27, was charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with murder, a first-degree felony, and a $1 million warrant was issued for his arrest.
In 2005 when Ortiz was 15, Jeremiah Allred got into an argument with his estranged wife, who is Ortiz’s sister. Allred was driving his car alongside his estranged wife, who was trying to walk away from him, when Ortiz and the estranged wife’s current boyfriend pulled up next to him, according to charging documents.
The boyfriend smashed Allred’s windshield with a large piece of wood, according to police. Allred got out of his car and ran. Ortiz got out of his car and chased after him, picking up a shovel from a yard as he ran, the charges state.
When the others caught up with Ortiz, he announced that Allred “would not mess with them anymore,” according to the charges. When asked if that meant he had killed Allred, Ortiz allegedly stated that Allred “was sleeping.”
Allred was found dead in a carport near 3800 South and 4500 West, a few houses away from where the fight began. The medical examiner determined that a “sharp force injury” to Allred’s chest killed him, and he also had “blunt force injuries” to his head.
In November of 2005, Ortiz was charged in juvenile court with murder. But he has remained a fugitive ever since and never stood trial for the killing. On July 26 of this year, the case was dismissed in juvenile court because the court no longer has jurisdiction over him.
Because there is no statute of limitation to murder, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office refiled the case in district court Tuesday.
Prosecutors say in charging documents that they have “reliable” information that Ortiz has left the country.
