February 9 Killer

The February 9 Killer is a murderer[4][5][6][7] responsible for the 2006 murder of Sonia Mejia and her unborn baby and the 2008 murder of Damiana Castillo in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. The murders were committed on the same day, February 9, hence the name.

February 9 Killer
Born
Juan Antonio Arreola-Murillo

(1980-10-07) October 7, 1980[1]
Mexico
Other namesFeb. 9 Killer, February 9th Killer[2]
Details
Victims3
Span of crimes
February 9, 2006 – February 9, 2008
CountryUnited States
State(s)Utah
Date apprehended
N/A
Imprisoned atUtah State Correctional Facility[3]

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.

As of 2012, the case is classified as a cold case.[4]

In November 2018, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced that a suspect was in custody in another jurisdiction and was in the process of being extradited back to Utah to face murder 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]

In June 2023, Arreola-Murillo pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated murder. He was subsequently sentenced in August to 60 years to life in prison.[10]

See also

Victims
  • Sonia Mejia, aged 29, was raped and strangled in her apartment in Taylorsville
  • Damiana Castillo, aged 57, was strangled in her apartment in West Valley City

References
  1. "The State of Utah vs. Juan Antonio Arreola-Murillo Information and Probable Cause" (PDF). Salt Lake County District Attorney. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  2. "Police Task Force still searching for elusive February 9th Killer" Fox13Now, 6 February 2010 Archived July 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  3. Utah Department of Corrections Offender Search, offender number 260117
  4. "Police searching for Feb. 9 serial killer" Fox13Now, 5 February 2011 Archived February 9, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Police seek help in Feb. 9 killer" Fox13Now Archived July 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  6. Hanna, Jason (9 February 2009). "Utah cities on alert as anniversary of 2 slayings hits". CNN Justice. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012.
  7. "UNSOLVED CASES: Who killed Sonia Mejia?". abc4.com. 25 October 2010. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012.
  8. Carlisle, Nate (29 November 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 11, 2022.
  10. 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.
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