KENYATTA WINSTON - 16 yo (8/12) - / Convicted: Frank Paul Reyos - Salt Lake City, UT

Guilty verdict reached in murder of 16-year-old Kenyatta Winston


By McKenzie Romero, Deseret News

Published: Friday, Oct. 17 2014 8:14 p.m. MDT
Updated: Friday, Oct. 17 2014 8:14 p.m. MDT


Frank P. Reyos
Salt Lake County Jail



A jury has found Frank Paul Reyos guilty of killing 16-year-old Kenyatta Winston and dumping his body in a vacant lot.

Reyos, 32, was convicted of aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, and possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a third-degree felony, after just under three hours of jury deliberations in 3rd District Court on Friday. He will be sentenced at 3 p.m. Jan. 12.

Winston was found shot to death in a vacant lot at 1120 E. Crandall Ave. (2900 South) the morning of Aug. 29.

A flurry of arrests came in the weeks that followed as police worked to piece together where Winston had been before he died and who had seen him. Investigators believed he may have been partying and doing drugs in a hotel room, where he and Reyos got into an argument.

Natasha Alvarado testified in a preliminary hearing last year that Winston and Reyos seemed to work things out the next day, but when the group drove to Sugar House looking for something they could steal, Reyos turned a gun on Winston.

Alvarado had remained in the car, later found smeared with Winston's blood, and was talking with David Angel Montes, now 23, when she heard the gunshot, she said.

Montes, suspected of borrowing and driving the getaway car, had been charged with murder but was later ordered to stand trial for reduced charges of obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony. A scheduling hearing is scheduled for Oct. 27.

Charging documents indicate that after Alvarado found out Winston had been killed, she went to a room at Zion's Motel, 1829 S. State, "where she and others with Kenyatta had been staying over the weekend and partying" and "cleaned the room to destroy any evidence that linked Kenyatta to the room and to them."

Alvarado, 34, was charged with obstructing justice, a second-degree felony, but those charges were later dismissed.

Reyos is still facing charges of possession of a firearm by a restricted person, a second-degree felony, as well as failure to respond to an officer's signal and aggravated assault, both second-degree felonies, after allegedly leading police on chase when they attempted to arrest him two weeks after Winston's murder.

Reyos allegedly rammed the car he was driving into a police cruiser and drove away, with speeds reaching 95 mph, when they attempted to stop him on Sept. 11, 2012. He also ran two red lights, charges state.

Police eventually forced the vehicle to stop and took Reyos into custody.


http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865613420/Guilty-verdict-reached-in-murder-of-16-year-old-Kenyatta-Winston.html?pg=all

Father of murdered teen makes plea for week without violence


By Pat Reavy, Deseret News

Published: Tuesday, Oct. 21 2014 1:40 p.m. MDT
Updated: yesterday

   



Norvert Winston and Salt Lake Police Chief Chris Burbank plant a daffodil in memory of their Winston's 16-year-old son, Kenyatta Winston, who was shot to death, at the YWCA-sponsored Week Without Violence event, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2014, in Salt Lake City.
Tom Smart, Deseret News



The parents of Kenyatta Winston were guest speakers Tuesday in front of the Salt Lake City Public Safety Building for the YWCA's annual Week Without Violence event and the planting of daffodil seeds, a program started a decade ago.
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“The purpose for my son was to create a mindset for us all. Be mindful. Make good choices. The solution to the problem, I don't know. But I know it has to start with our youth. We need to teach our young people different ways of dealing with society's ailments. I believe we have to start with the children.”
Novert Winston

SALT LAKE CITY — Norvert Winston struggled when his 16-year-old son, Kenyatta, was gunned down and his body dumped in a vacant lot.

"There are no winners in this. I've lost something that I'll never get back," he said Tuesday.

Now, Winston and his wife, Valarie Winston, who have two younger sons, have become advocates to try to prevent the kind of violence that took their son's life.

"The purpose for my son was to create a mindset for us all. Be mindful. Make good choices. The solution to the problem, I don't know. But I know it has to start with our youth. We need to teach our young people different ways of dealing with society's ailments. I believe we have to start with the children," Norvert Winston said.

On Friday, a jury found Frank Paul Reyos guilty of aggravated murder in Kenyatta's death. He is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 12.
The Winstons were guest speakers Tuesday in front of the Salt Lake City Public Safety Building for the YWCA's annual Week Without Violence event and the planting of daffodil seeds, a program started a decade ago by the Gun Violence Prevention Center.

By the spring, the seeds will break through the hard soil, and a daffodil — a symbol of hope — will rise, according to event organizers.

Before planting the seeds, Police Chief Chris Burbank cited a statistic that about 400 people lose their lives to violence each day in the United States.

"It is one of the most startling statistics as a police representative, (pause) it's difficult to even comprehend. Why do we in society view that as acceptable? There is no acceptable loss in a free society. Why are we not outraged that one individual will lose their life today to violence?

"It does not matter what side of the issue you're on, what your politics are, what your religious beliefs are. You cannot argue that individuals who intend to do others harm have access to firearms and do just that every single day in this country and in this city," the chief said. "It is unacceptable to report crime is down a certain percentage — we had fewer homicides this year than we did last year — when you're sitting across from a family member and say, 'But your loved one lost their life.'"

Burbank said he applauds people like the Winstons who could have simply become recluses from society, but instead have chosen not to let the violence they have been subjected to define them. Rather, they are trying to do something about it.

Norvert Winston said he was honored to be part of the Week Without Violence and daffodil planting.

"It's really good to be here today. To be in a community where individuals still care about life," he said. "A week without violence That's where it starts. And a week can turn into a month. A month can turn into six months, and into years. It's touching my heart. I'm feeling some feelings now. But it's really good to be here."


http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865613620/Father-of-murdered-teen-makes-plea-for-week-without-violence.html