Man sentenced for robbery, manslaughter after 16-year-old killed at West Jordan rec center

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A man has been sentenced to prison in Salt Lake County for the death of a juvenile in 2021, according to an announcement from Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill on Friday.

On Dec. 25, 2021, police responded to a welfare check at the Gene Fullmer Recreation Center in West Jordan. Upon arrival, they found a deceased juvenile male later determined to be 16 years old — identified simply as “K.G.” Police also found three shell casings next to K.G.’s body and a shoe print in the mud.

Two days later, on Dec. 27, 2021, police learned about an incident in West Valley City where a juvenile and two men stole a vehicle from a driveway in the neighborhood. The accused individuals were followed by a witness after the theft, who then told a nearby police officer what had happened.

The officer tried to stop the stolen vehicle but it sped away. The vehicle then lost control and the individuals inside ran from the scene. The suspects — identified as Coda Benjamin Verucchi and Jedediah Newsome — were taken into custody shortly after.

During a police interview, Newsome told investigators that he and Verucchi had taken part in a homicide on Dec. 24, 2021, near a recreation center in West Jordan.

Newsome told police that K.G. was shot because he was trying to “get put on” with a gang that Newsome and Verucchi were in, according to a press release from the DA’s Office, but K.G. was already in another gang.

“Newsome told police he and Verucchi had talked to K.G. and told him to think about joining the gang overnight. Newsome started to walk away from Verucchi and K.G., but he told police he heard two gunshots, so he went back, grabbed a gun from Verucchi, and shot K.G. twice. The co-defendants then ran away,” the release states.

In Aug. 2022, Newsome pleaded guilty to first-degree felony murder and was sentenced to 15 years to life at the Utah State Correctional Facility. On April 24, 2025, a judge sentenced Verucchi to five years to life for first-degree felony aggravated robbery and one to 15 years for second-degree felony manslaughter. The judge set the sentences to run consecutively.

“We hope this sentence helps provide some measure of justice for K.G.’s family and loved ones. We have recently worked closely with our state lawmakers to try and stem the involvement of youth in gangs, to try and prevent senseless deaths like this one,” said Salt Lake County D.A. Sim Gill. “We appreciate the years of work by our prosecutors and support staff. We thank the West Jordan and West Valley City police departments for their thorough investigations that helped lead to these convictions.”

No further information is available at this time.