A Denver man who was 16 years old when police say he killed another teenager after a gun sale pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Tuesday.
The body of Josiaz “JoJo” Aragon, 14, was found at a baseball field near the Southwest Recreation Center in Denver’s Marston neighborhood on Aug. 8, 2022.
Investigators found Aragon had been messaging Diego Eugene Lopez, who he knew from school, and was planning to sell the older teen a gun.
Aragon was shot in the back as he was walking away after the sale, then pistol-whipped, beaten and stabbed, police said.
Lopez was charged as an adult with first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, tampering with evidence and a weapons charge. Now 19 years old, he pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and faces up to 48 years in prison when he’s sentenced on July 18, according to the Denver District Attorney’s Office.
“With this plea, Diego Lopez is finally accepting responsibility for his horrific and senseless actions. We will seek a heavy prison term when he’s sentenced,” District Attorney John Walsh said in a statement.
An attorney for Lopez did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
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