The man who shot and killed University of Utah football player Aaron Lowe has been sentenced to at least 18 years in prison, and possibly up to life.
Buk Mawut Buk, now 25, killed Lowe and shot and injured Fuamoli Pomale outside of a party in September 2021.
Buk, Lowe and another man got into an argument outside a Salt Lake City house party, according to court documents. Pomale tried to break up the discussion, but Buk crossed the street and started shooting, police said.
Lowe, 21, died at the scene after being shot multiple times. Pomale, then 20 years old, was taken to the hospital in critical condition but survived.
Buk pleaded guilty to first-degree felony murder and first-degree attempted felony murder in March. That was a reduced plea after he was originally charged with aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, possession of a firearm by a restricted person and obstruction of justice.
Buk faced the possibility of a death penalty case with the original charges. But prosecutors and Lowe’s mother, Donna Lowe-Stern, agreed to take the death penalty off the table.
After Buk pleaded guilty in March, Lowe-Stern told The Salt Lake Tribune that she felt like “she lost.” She said she only agreed to take the death penalty off the table because she thought he’d get life without parole.
First-degree felony murder carries a sentence of 15 years to life in prison. Buk received the maximum penalty for both first-degree felony murder and first-degree attempted felony murder. For attempted felony murder, he received three years to life in prison. He will serve the sentences consecutively.
The Utah Board of Pardons and Paroles will now ultimately make the call on whether Buk will spend the rest of his life in prison.
“There is a possibility he will be free. He could have a life. My son can’t have a life,” Lowe-Stern told The Tribune in March. “So either way it goes, it will look like he won. It’s like he won, because if he serves for 20 years and becomes free, he’s still a young man. He will still have a chance at a life. My baby [doesn’t] get that chance.”
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