A man accused of fatally shooting University of Utah football player Aaron Lowe has pleaded guilty to murder charges more than two years after the incident occurred. The accused, now 25 years old, admitted to Lowe's murder and the attempted murder of a woman injured in the shooting that took place on September 26, 2021, in Salt Lake City.
According to court documents, the tragic event unfolded outside a rowdy house party where the football player was shot after a heated argument with the accused and his friends. Witnesses reported that the accused fired multiple shots at Lowe and another individual, leaving them critically injured.
The accused is set to be sentenced on April 29 and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years to life in Utah State Prison. In exchange for his guilty plea, additional charges against him were dismissed by the judge.
The District Attorney expressed hope that the conviction would bring some measure of justice to the loved ones of the victims. The death of Aaron Lowe came less than a year after his teammate Ty Jordan passed away from an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound on Christmas night in 2020.
Lowe and his teammate were high school friends and football companions from Mesquite, Texas, who both came to play for the University of Utah. Lowe had honored Jordan's memory by switching his college jersey to Jordan's No. 22 and becoming the first recipient of a memorial scholarship established in Jordan's honor.
The tragic incident occurred at an off-campus house party where uninvited guests, including the accused, caused a disturbance. Lowe and another individual were shot as they tried to leave the party after a confrontation with a group of men blocking their car.
Lowe succumbed to his injuries at the scene, while the other victim survived after undergoing emergency surgery for gunshot wounds. The accused, who was already on probation for previous robberies, was arrested in connection with the shootings.
Authorities noted that the accused had an extensive violent criminal history dating back to at least 2017. The community mourned the loss of Aaron Lowe, a promising young athlete whose life was tragically cut short in a senseless act of violence.
