Man convicted in Draper Airbnb shooting that left 2 dead

DRAPER, UtahABC4) — A Utah man was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder after a fatal 2022 shooting at a Draper Airbnb.

Daniel Martinez, 20, was convicted by a jury on May 31. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 18. He faces 25 years to life in Utah State Prison.

According to Salt Lake County Prosecutor Sim Gill, Martinez and a friend attended a party at an Airbnb in Draper on April 3, 2022. While the party was broken up, Martinez and his friend threw and broke beer bottles in the street. .

When Martinez confronted the victim, later identified as Austin Powell, 27, to stop breaking the bottles, the two got into a verbal argument. In a news release, Gill said Martinez began jumping and jumping while firing bullets at Powell and his car.

Powell was struck and pronounced dead at the scene. Another victim who was in Powell's car, later identified as Jonathan Fuentes, 21, was hit and taken to hospital. Fuentes died from his injury later the same day.

In a statement, Gill said the jury made the right choice in convicting Martinez for his role in the shooting and thanked the work of state prosecutors and law enforcement.

“The defendant’s actions were callous and brazen. Two people lost their lives far too soon,” Gill said. “Mr. Martinez demonstrated complete disregard for the sanctity of human life and the safety of others when he fired into an occupied vehicle.

Another suspect in the shooting, Ashtyn Ortega, 20, was convicted of second-degree manslaughter and first-degree discharge of a firearm in April 2023. He was sentenced to a minimum of five years to life in prison and was ordered to pay restitution of $28,730.