Murder charge refiled in 2020 Millcreek shooting
by Pat Reavy ksl · KSL.comKEY TAKEAWAYS
- A murder charge was refiled against Awad Moses Majok in a 2020 Millcreek case.
- Majok's charges were initially dismissed due to a key witness' visa issue.
- Prosecutors expect the witness to testify remotely, enabling the case to proceed.
MILLCREEK — One of three men accused of shooting and killing a stranger at a Millcreek car wash in 2020, who had his murder charge dismissed earlier this year because of a visa issue with a key witness, has been charged again.
On Friday, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office refiled charges in 3rd District Court against Awad Moses Majok, 25, including murder and aggravated robbery, first-degree felonies; and discharge of a firearm, a third-degree felony.
On Oct. 18, 2020, at about 12:30 a.m., Manuel Felipe Gonzales-Cortes, 21, of Colombia, was shot and killed in front of a car wash near 635 W. 3900 South. He was staying with his girlfriend nearby when he left to walk to a convenience store. Police do not believe Gonzalez-Cortez had ever met his attackers prior to that evening.
"In this case, the defendant randomly chose an unsuspecting victim, engaged in aggravated robbery during which his co-defendant shot and killed the victim. The defendant had no regard for the safety or welfare of the victim, or others in the vicinity," prosecutors wrote in charging documents.
In 2023, after three years of investigating the case, Majok and Nogolweit "Nunu" Kug were each charged with murder, and Deng Mawut Buk was charged with obstruction of justice.
Kug and Buk were also charged in 2022 in connection with the shooting death of a man outside the Salt Palace Convention Center. In September, Kug was convicted in that case of murder and aggravated robbery, first-degree felonies. Buk was acquitted of murder and aggravated robbery, but found guilty of obstructing justice, a second-degree felony. Both men are scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 23.
Buk is the brother of Buk Mawut Buk, 23, convicted of killing University of Utah football player Aaron Lowe in 2021.
In January, when Majok was scheduled to go to trial for the 2020 killing, the victim's girlfriend, who is considered a key witness in the case and had moved to Chile, was unable to obtain a visa to return to Utah to testify.
"On the morning of the continued trial date, in January of this year, federal policy changes resulted in the indefinite suspension of immigrant visa processing for numerous countries, including Chile, further foreclosing any realistic possibility of her timely travel. The witness has since continued to pursue options through the consulate, including being advised to seek immigration counsel, and the state has identified an attorney willing to assist her. However, there remains no guarantee that a visa can be obtained, nor any reliable timeline for when that might occur," prosecutors wrote in their motion to allow the woman to appear in court remotely.
The request, however, was denied, and prosecutors were forced to dismiss their charges.
Although that case was dismissed, Majok remained in custody and is currently serving time in the Utah State Prison for a conviction of assault by a prisoner, rioting and possession of a gun by a restricted person.
"The defendant is a known gang member who has engaged in multiple incidents of violent behavior," the charges state.
The case against Kug, however, continued to move through the court system, and on May 29, a judge gave permission for the girlfriend to testify in Kug's case remotely. Because of that, prosecutors have now refiled their charges against Majok and anticipate that their witness will be able to also testify remotely in that case.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.