HE SHOT HIS RADIO HOST EX-GIRLFRIEND SEVEN TIMES — THEN FLED TO MEXICO. FIVE YEARS LATER, HE FINALLY ADMITTED WHAT HE DID

Manuel Omar Burciaga Perea pleaded guilty to killing Gabriela “Gaby Ramos” Sifuentes Castilla after prosecutors said he became enraged when he saw her dancing with another man.

Nearly five years after a popular Utah radio host was fatally shot inside her sister’s home, the man who once planned to marry her has finally admitted responsibility.

Manuel Omar Burciaga Perea, 39, pleaded guilty Thursday to murdering Gabriela Sifuentes Castilla, 38, known to listeners as “Gaby Ramos.”

Castilla was a familiar voice on the Spanish-language radio station La Mas Picosita, where she worked as a radio host.

She was killed in Taylorsville, Utah, on October 17, 2021.

THE NIGHT EVERYTHING CHANGED

According to charging documents cited by prosecutors, Burciaga and Castilla had attended the same party earlier that night.

Prosecutors alleged that Burciaga became enraged after seeing Castilla dancing with another man.

Later, the former couple ended up at Castilla’s sister’s home.

An argument followed.

Police said Burciaga then fired multiple times at Castilla, striking her seven times.

Her sister, Rocio Sifuentes, witnessed the shooting.

Castilla’s young daughter was also inside the home and could hear the gunfire from another room.

The horrifying moment would remain with the family for years.

HE FLED TO MEXICO

After the shooting, Burciaga escaped to Chihuahua, Mexico, his hometown.

For a time, he remained outside the reach of U.S. authorities.

But the case did not disappear.

In May 2023, Burciaga was extradited back to the United States and remained in custody while awaiting trial.

The case had been scheduled to go before a jury this fall.

Instead, Burciaga entered a guilty plea.

THE CHARGE WAS REDUCED

Burciaga originally faced an aggravated murder charge.

Under the plea agreement, prosecutors reduced that charge to murder and dismissed additional counts, including aggravated burglary.

He also pleaded guilty to domestic violence in the presence of a child and reckless endangerment.

Salt Lake County Deputy District Attorney Karissa McKinney said the agreement provided “meaningful accountability and finality” while preserving the seriousness of the case.

But not everyone in Castilla’s family was satisfied.

HER SISTER DOESN’T SUPPORT THE DEAL

Rocio Sifuentes, who witnessed the shooting, has publicly expressed her disappointment with the plea agreement.

For the family, the guilty plea closes one chapter — but cannot erase the years of grief that followed Castilla’s death.

Her sister was there when the tragedy unfolded.

Her daughter was close enough to hear it.

And Burciaga disappeared across an international border afterward.

FIVE YEARS LATER, AN ANSWER

On Thursday, Burciaga formally admitted in court that he killed Castilla.

His guilty plea means the case will not go to the jury trial that had been scheduled for October.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 10, 2026.

For Castilla’s loved ones, the plea brings a measure of accountability after nearly five years of waiting.

But the memory of “Gaby Ramos” — the radio voice known by listeners across Utah’s Spanish-speaking community — remains at the center of the story.

She was 38 when her life was taken.

Now, nearly five years later, the man who fled after her death has finally admitted that he was responsible.