The Salt Lake County District Attorney has refiled murder charges against a man accused in the 2020 shooting death of a 21-year-old outside a Millcreek car wash, ABC4 reported.

Awad Moses Majok, 25, faces charges of murder, aggravated robbery and felony discharge of a firearm in the death of Manuel Gonzales-Cortes. The charges were refiled Nov. 6 after the original 2023 case was dismissed when a witness was unable to testify in person and the court ruled against postponing the proceedings, according to ABC4.

Gonzales-Cortes, a 21-year-old from Colombia, was shot and killed about 12:30 a.m. on Oct. 18, 2020, near 635 W. 3900 South. He had been walking to a convenience store to buy beer, according to KSL. Police said Gonzales-Cortes had no connection to his attackers before that night.

Unified Police Department officers responded to the scene and found Salt Lake County deputies already performing CPR on Gonzales-Cortes, according to ABC4. He was later pronounced dead from a gunshot wound.

Surveillance video and investigation

Investigators recovered surveillance video from a nearby business. The footage showed Majok and a second individual, Nogolweit Kug, following Gonzales-Cortes down the sidewalk before a struggle between the three, according to ABC4. Two muzzle flashes appeared on the video, and Majok and Kug then ran to a waiting vehicle that drove away.

Witnesses told officers they saw a man in a white shirt standing over the victim. When they got out of their vehicles, the man ran to his car and fled. The witnesses saw blood coming from the victim's abdomen and called 911, ABC4 reported.

In November 2020, officers stopped a stolen Ford F-150 with Majok inside. A handgun found in the vehicle matched the one used in the homicide, according to ABC4.

Cellmate statements and DNA

A cellmate later reported that Majok said he and Kug had been trying to rob Gonzales-Cortes, according to ABC4. The cellmate said the gun belonged to Majok, and that Kug fired twice, hitting the victim.

Kug told another inmate they believed Gonzales-Cortes belonged to a gang, according to ABC4. Investigators determined Gonzales-Cortes had no gang affiliation. DNA evidence from the victim's sweatshirt identified Majok as a contributor, according to KSL's 2023 reporting on the original charges.

Co-defendants

Kug was also charged with murder, aggravated robbery and felony discharge of a firearm. He has pleaded not guilty. A third defendant, Deng Mawut Buk, was charged with felony obstruction of justice and pleaded guilty, according to ABC4. Court proceedings for Kug and Buk are ongoing.

Gonzales-Cortes' father, Juan Manuel Gonzalez-Tovar, spoke through a translator in a 2022 interview with KUTV. He had sent his son to Salt Lake City to learn English and find work, believing it would be safer than Colombia.

All charges are allegations. Majok is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.