Two men were charged in September with the murder of the Ogden man on the porch

OGDEN – Two men have been charged in connection with the killing of a 45-year-old Ogden man who was shot multiple times outside his home last month.

Johnathon Geno Lemus, 31, is charged with murder and four counts of discharging a firearm causing great bodily harm, first-degree felonies; plus possession of a firearm by a restricted person and receiving stolen property, second-degree felonies; and two counts of discharging a firearm, a third-degree felony.

Joshua James Nava, 29, was booked into the Weber County Jail on Oct. 31 and charged with possession of a firearm by a restricted person and theft of a firearm, second-degree felonies.

The victim, whose identity has still not been released, was sitting or sleeping on a porch swing at his family’s home in the 2800 block of Childs Avenue when he was shot around 4 a.m. on Sept. 21, according to charging documents.

In a video recording later obtained by investigators, two men can be seen on the street near the victim’s home, one of whom is “carrying what appears to be a firearm behind his back,” the lawsuit says. One of the men moves toward the house behind a pickup truck while the other “remains on the road behind the pickup truck.”

According to the charges, “seven distinct gunshots” can be heard on the recording, “followed by moans and cries of pain.” The video then shows two men running away from the scene. It is unclear where the video came from.

“After being shot, (the victim) stumbled up the stairs and eventually entered the home where he collapsed,” the lawsuit states. The man’s family called 911, and in a recording of that call his “voice can be heard stating that the person who shot him was ‘Johnathon’ and ‘Boxer.’

Police and emergency responders arrived to treat the man, who repeated that “Johnathon” shot him, the lawsuit says. He was taken to a hospital where he died from his injuries. An autopsy determined the cause of death was “multiple gunshot wounds.”

During the course of the investigation, police said they identified the two suspects as Lemus, whose alias is “Boxer,” and Nava.

License plate readers tracked Lemus’ vehicle hours before the shooting and again less than an hour after the shooting, according to court documents, to a location “just a few blocks from a known location previously reported as Nava’s residence.” “. License plate readers then tracked Lemus’ vehicle to St. George and to Las Vegas the day after the murder.

On September 25, Lemus was arrested in Las Vegas on unrelated charges and was allegedly found to be in possession of a Glock 9mm, which was reported stolen in Salt Lake City just two days before the shooting. The Utah State Crime Lab confirmed the gun was the same weapon used to shoot and kill the Ogden man, according to the charges.

Through a search warrant, several cell phones were found in Lemus’ car, including one owned by Nava. A data extraction revealed that Nava had sent a photo of the same gun the day before the shooting, identified by “a Holosun sight attached to the gun’s upper receiver” that matched the one found in Las Vegas, the indictment says.

Investigators said cellphone data showed Nava driving from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas, and casino security footage showed the two men together in the days after the murder.

Nava also texted a friend, “I’m in trouble, ask my mom, she saw it,” and when asked about the shooting, according to the indictment, he wrote, “Yeah, it was me and (Lemus), who did it” and said, “I “I was defending myself” and “I didn’t do that on purpose (expletive).”

Nava allegedly admitted to “being in possession of the stolen firearm” used in the shooting when police located him in October and that he had been with Lemus the night before and the following day.

A recorded phone call between Lemus and a “relative or associate” from the Clark County Jail in Nevada shows them having a conversation about “potential sentences for murder cases in Utah,” according to court documents.

The motive for the shooting was not discussed in court documents.

According to police, both men are people who are prohibited from owning firearms. Lemus has a previous conviction for unlawful sexual activity with a minor, while Nava was convicted of aggravated assault in 2016 and possession with intent to distribute in 2018.

Nava had his first court appearance Tuesday in 2nd District Court; Lemus is currently in the Clark County Jail where he is being held without bail.