February 9 Killer

February 9 Killer
Born
Juan Antonio Arreola-Murillo

(1980-10-07) October 7, 1980[1]
Mexico
ConvictionAggravated murder (3 counts)
Criminal penalty
60 years to life in prison
Details
Victims3+
Span of crimes
February 9, 2006 – February 9, 2008
CountryUnited States
StateUtah
Date apprehended
November 2018
Imprisoned atUtah State Correctional Facility[2]

Juan Antonio Arreola-Murillo (born October 7, 1980), also known as the February 9 Killer,[3] is a murderer[4][5][6][7] responsible for the killing of two Salt Lake County, Utah women across the span of two years. In 2006, Arreola-Murillo murdered Sonia Mejia and her unborn baby. Two years later, he murdered Damiana Castillo. Both murders were committed on the same day, February 9, hence the nickname.

Investigation

In 2009, the unsolved murders of Sonia Mejia in Taylorsville and Damiana Castillo in West Valley City were linked through DNA analysis.[4] The corresponding police departments concurrently released a description of the perpetrator as a Hispanic male in his late teens or early 20s.[6] A 20-man task force was then formed to find the killer. In 2012, the case was classified as a cold case.[4]

In November 2018, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced that a suspect for the murders was in custody in another jurisdiction and was in the process of being extradited back to Utah to face charges.[8] In January 2022, the charging documents were unsealed and revealed the suspect to be 41-year-old Mexican national Juan Arreola-Murillo, who had previous convictions for fraud in 2008 and was later deported to his homeland, where he remained until his extradition.[9] Arreola was quickly extradited after prosecutors said they would not seek a death sentence in the case.[10]

In June 2023, Arreola pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated murder. His sentencing occurred in August of the same year, where he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, to be served for the 3 cases one after the other, for a total of 60 years to life in prison.[11]

Victims

  • Sonia Mejia, aged 29, was raped and strangled in her apartment in Taylorsville. Her unborn child died with her.
  • Damiana Castillo, aged 57, was strangled in her apartment in West Valley City.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The State of Utah vs. Juan Antonio Arreola-Murillo Information and Probable Cause" (PDF). Salt Lake County District Attorney. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 15, 2025. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  2. ↑ Utah Department of Corrections Offender Search, offender number 260117
  3. ↑ "Police Task Force still searching for elusive February 9th Killer". Fox13Now. February 6, 2010. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 "Police searching for Feb. 9 serial killer". Fox13Now. February 5, 2011. Archived from the original on February 9, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Police seek help in Feb. 9 killer". Fox13Now. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011.
  6. 1 2 Hanna, Jason (February 9, 2009). "Utah cities on alert as anniversary of 2 slayings hits". CNN Justice. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012.
  7. ↑ "UNSOLVED CASES: Who killed Sonia Mejia?". abc4.com. October 25, 2010. Archived from the original on April 3, 2012.
  8. ↑ Carlisle, Nate (November 29, 2018). "Prosecutors know the person suspected of murdering two Salt Lake County women on two February 9ths, district attorney says". Salt Lake Tribune.
  9. ↑ Jeremy Harris (January 10, 2022). "Unsealed murder charges reveal alleged 'February 9th Killer' is now in custody in Utah". KUTV. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Man pleads guilty to murdering 2 Utah women, unborn child in 2006, 2008". FOX 13 News Utah (KSTU). June 12, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  11. ↑ Emily Ashcraft (August 10, 2023). "Judge orders 60-years-to-life sentence for killings of woman, pregnant woman 2 years apart". KSL. Archived from the original on October 25, 2023.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.