TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — Two of the three teenage suspects in the death of 21-year-old Alex Franco in Taylorsville are now being charged as adults.
Pedro Alexis Romero Bustos and Rohan Sharoon, both age 17, are charged with murder, aggravated robbery, obstruction of justice, and abuse or desecration of a body. Sharoon is also charged with possession of a weapon by a restricted person.
Court documents state that Bustos, Sharoon and another teen met up with Franco on March 17 under the guise of selling him a gun, but then they decided to rob him. Witnesses said Franco got into a vehicle with the three teenage boys, then an argument broke out, and they heard a gunshot before the vehicle sped away.
Both Bustos and Sharoon admitted to being part of the plot to rob Franco, along with covering up evidence and taking Franco's body to an empty field in Utah County. However, charging documents indicate that the other teen, an unnamed 16-year-old, was the one who pulled the trigger. He has not been charged as an adult at this time and thus is not being publicly identified.
Officials have said that Franco's murder is not believed to be a hate crime of any sort, nor does it appear gang-related, or drug-related.
