Taylorsville man who shot childhood friend in fight seeks parole

SALT LAKE CITY – A Taylorsville man who shot and killed his childhood friend during a fight 11 years ago is now applying for parole.

Prosecutors said Donald Orlando Valdez and David Gonzales, 28, were members of rival gangs when they got into a fight outside a party at 970 S. 300 West on August 31, 2013.

During a hearing Tuesday before the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole, Valdez, now 42, said he and Gonzales had been friends since childhood and that their two families had known each other even longer.

That night, however, Valdez's brother, Nicholas James Valdez, got into a fight with Gonzales. Donald Valdez says when he saw this, he rushed in and ended up fighting Gonzales himself. At some point during the fight, Gonzales reached for a gun in his waistband, which Valdez says he snatched away and picked up.

“When I stood up, I turned around and fired a shot,” he told the board.

Gonzales was shot in the head and killed. Donald Valdez was charged with murder. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter, illegal discharge of a firearm and obstruction of justice, second-degree felonies. He was sentenced to three to 15 years in prison and two terms of one to 15 years, with the three sentences to be served consecutively.

However, due to a state law, consecutive prison sentences are capped at a maximum of 30 years. If Valdez serves his full sentence, he will be released in 2043. On Tuesday, he appeared before the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole for the first time.

Valdez described that he was heavily involved in gangs at the time and that his “reckless behavior,” which included drug use, led to many “bad decisions.”

“I was pretty addicted to drugs and lived a pretty reckless lifestyle,” he said. “I know that my reckless behavior and reckless lifestyle … put me in a vicious cycle.”

Valdez says he didn't go to the party that night with the intention of hurting Gonzales, and he still doesn't understand how things got out of hand so quickly.

“I never intended for this situation to arise,” he said.

Rita Miera, Gonzales' mother, told the panel she felt “betrayed” by Valdez. She also recalled how he and her son grew up together and how Valdez said Gonzales was like a little brother to him. When she addressed the panel, he referred to Valdez simply as “the inmate.”

“I believe he should serve the full sentence,” she said. “Ten years is not long enough.”

When asked if he wanted to respond to Miera's comments, Valdez said, “I want to apologize and say I'm sorry. That night, it got out of control and there is no excuse for it. I made a bad decision.”

The committee noted during the hearing that Valdez has no prior convictions in prison since 2018 and that his risk assessment score for reoffending has dropped significantly. Valdez attributes his change to the last time he was placed in the prison's maximum security unit and knew he “had to make some pretty serious decisions for himself.”

“I knew I couldn't continue down that path,” he said. “I decided to break away from many of my previous gang affiliations.”

“I understand that his family may never forgive me. But I am truly sorry for what I did,” Valdez said.

The five-member panel will vote on whether to grant parole or set a date for another hearing. A decision is expected to take several weeks.