Utah Teen Pleads Guilty to Homicide by Assault in Death of Soccer Referee

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A Utah teen pleaded guilty to homicide by assault for causing the death of a soccer referee.

Photo: Richard North

Teen Admits Guilt in Court

The teen, Jose Teran, recently admitted his guilt in an incident which left a soccer referee with irreparable brain injuries—eventually leading to the man’s death. Teran and the referee were involved in a soccer game that ended when Teran punched the man in the head/face area after he gave the teen a yellow card for a foul.

The injury put the referee in a coma; he died about a week later. Teran admitted to the judge that he acted impulsively and in frustration when he hit the referee.

An Unexpected Plea

The plea was a bit surprising, since just last week the prosecution and defense were planning to argue whether or not Teran should be tried as an adult. Teran, who is 17 years old, will likely spend the next 4 years in a juvenile detention facility. Had he been tried as an adult and found guilty of homicide by assault, the maximum sentence he would have faced was 5 years in prison.

This young man will have a great deal of time to spend considering his actions and hopefully how to avoid this type of situation in the future. The judge did order Teran to keep a picture of the referee on display in his cell and to write to the victim’s daughters each week.

Teran, who had no previous juvenile incidents and who is reportedly an excellent student, expressed his desires to have a positive life and future following his detention.

Contact a Utah Juvenile Defense Attorney for Help

Kids make mistakes, which is why it’s important that they receive the best legal advice possible anytime they become involved in the juvenile justice system.

Talk to a Utah juvenile defense attorney today if your child is in legal trouble. Having an experienced attorney on your child’s side may make all the difference in their life.