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A 19-year-old West Valley City man was found guilty Wednesday of fatally shooting a 17-year-old boy in a case of mistaken identity on Interstate 15 near 2100 South.
Mohamed Daffalla Kabor was convicted by a 3rd District Court jury of first-degree felony murder for the June 24, 2007, slaying of Luis A. Trujillo.
Kabor was also convicted of second-degree felony obstructing justice and three third-degree felony counts of discharging a weapon from a vehicle.
He faces a mandatory prison term of 15 years to life when he is sentenced Jan. 23 by Judge Judith Atherton.
According to trial testimony, Kabor and two other passengers were in a car driven by 19-year-old Samuel Paul Krokaugger, when Krokaugger identified the car Trujillo was riding in as belonging to someone with whom he'd had previous trouble.
Krokaugger then handed a gun to Kabor, who fired several shots at the car, according to testimony. Trujillo died from a bullet wound to the back of his head.
Defense attorney Bradley Rich argued the two other passengers in Krokaugger's car told confusing stories, and said they could not be relied upon to prove Kabor was the shooter.
Following the verdict, Rich said Kabor, who has no other criminal history, "just fell in with bad company."
Prosecutor Jon Shuman called Trujillo's death "a tragic situation." He said Trujillo and his friends were "just regular teenagers" who had never had a prior run-in with Krokaugger.
Krokaugger is serving up to 20 years prison for his part in Trujillo's death. He is also serving up to life in prison for fatally shooting 20-year-old Aaron Wheelwright on June 29, 2007.
Wheelwright was shot when he tried to stop Krokaugger from robbing a drug dealer near a South Salt Lake apartment complex.