Man sentenced to prison in fatal marijuana-deal robbery shooting in Horizon City

Aaron Martinez
El Paso Times
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Miguel Angel Ontiveros

A man accused in the death of a Horizon City man during a drug robbery was sentenced last month to three decades in prison.

Miguel Angel Ontiveros, 22, pleaded guilty to a murder charge on April 18 in connection with the Nov. 4 fatal shooting of 22-year-old Erik Aragon, according to court records.

He was then sentenced to 30 years in prison.


Ontiveros was originally charged with capital murder, but pleaded to the lesser charge of murder as part of a plea agreement, court records show.

The sentence was handed down by 243rd District Court Judge Luis Aguilar.

Ontiveros, along with Shawn Ezal Ramirez and Marcos Damian Porras, were arrested Dec. 12 in connection with Aragon’s death.

Aragon was found shot Nov. 4 in a parking lot behind an AT&T store next to a McDonald's restaurant on Horizon Boulevard near Darrington Road. He died due to his injuries the following day.

More:Three men arrested in fatal Horizon City shooting

According to court documents, Aragon was shot as the three suspects allegedly attempted to rob him during a drug deal for the sale of a "brick" of marijuana.

Shawn Ezal Ramirez

Aragon entered a car to complete the drug deal when a passenger in the back seat of the car pulled out a gun and demanded Aragon empty his pockets, documents state. Aragon was then shot.

The men then pulled Aragon out of the car before they drove away, documents state.


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When asked by detectives why Aragon was shot, Ontiveros allegedly replied, "We got greedy," court documents stated.

Ramirez claimed that he was the driver, but Ontiveros allegedly told investigators that Ramirez negotiated the deal and that Ramirez was the shooter, documents state.

Ontiveros added that Porras was the driver and he was in the front passenger seat. He allegedly told investigators that him and Ramirez used bleach to clean blood from Ramirez's vehicle.

Marcos Damian Porras

Ramirez allegedly told another person that he had shot Aragon and that Porras was the driver, documents state.

More:El Paso man sentenced for drive-by shooting with Chuco Tango, Barrio Azteca gang members

Ramirez and Porras are charged with capital murder. Their cases are still pending in district court.


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