Ex-boyfriend ordered to stand trial in killing of Utah Spanish radio host

SALT LAKE CITY — The man charged with aggravated murder in the 2021 shooting death of his former girlfriend, a Spanish radio host for a local Utah station, was ordered to stand trial on Thursday.

Gabriela Sifuentes Castilla, 38, was shot multiple times and killed in the doorway of her home on Oct. 17, 2021. She was better known as Gaby Ramos, a radio host for a local Spanish-language radio station called La Mas Picosita (KMRI 1550 AM), and was a well-known member of the Hispanic community.

Manuel Omar Burciaga Perea, 37, was ordered to stand trial on charges of aggravated murder and aggravated burglary, both first-degree felonies, in addition to aggravated assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child, both third-degree felonies.

The ruling followed testimony from Gaby Sifuentes’ sister, Rocio Sifuentes, her sister’s husband and two officers.

Rocio Sifuentes testified that her 8-year-old niece was in the Taylorsville home during the fatal shooting, in a neighboring room along with her 18-year-old niece. She said she went with her nieces and Juan Hernandez, now her husband, to a van Gogh exhibit the evening before while her sister was going to a party. She said her sister told her before the party that her ex-boyfriend, Burciaga, would be there.

Read the full story and more from Emily Ashcraft on ksl.com.

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