SOUTH SALT LAKE Utah (ABC 4 News) - For five years Steven Lucero was on the minds of detectives at South Salt Lake.
In 2007 a Washington state man Juan Carlos Ochoa was found dead near the business at 3300 South and 300 West.
Witnesses saw two men get into a fight and shots were heard coming from the spot. A car with a temporary license tag fled the scene.
Lucero was brought in for questioning the day after the fight occurred.
“But they just couldn't put the right pieces of information together,” says Salt Lake District Attorney Sim Gill.
Lucero was even charged with obstruction of justice but the charge was later dropped.
But not this time, Lucero's looking at murder after informants claiming he bragged about it ...came to police.
“I'm shocked actually,” says Jeri who lives next door.
She didn’t want her last name disclosed.
“He had some trouble with the law and he had gotten out of jail and he really started working hard to get his life back on track,” she says.
Lucero lived several places including here with his grandmother.
“I have no comment, please leave me alone," a woman who lived in the home told ABC 4 News.
But police knew better and kept after him.
“This is good old fashioned police work, detectives didn’t give up on this case,” Gill says. “Five years late justice is being done for the victim’s family.”
