HE SHOT HIS RADIO HOST EX-FIANCÉE SEVEN TIMES — THEN FLED TO MEXICO. FIVE YEARS LATER, HE PLEADED GUILTY

Manuel Omar Burciaga Perea admitted killing Gabriela “Gaby Ramos” Sifuentes Castilla in 2021. Her sister, who witnessed the tragedy, says she does not support the plea deal.

Nearly five years after beloved Spanish-language radio host Gabriela Sifuentes Castilla was killed at her sister’s Utah home, the man accused in her death has admitted responsibility.

Manuel Omar Burciaga Perea, 39, pleaded guilty on Thursday, September 10, to murder, domestic violence in the presence of a child and reckless endangerment in connection with Castilla’s death.

Castilla, 38, was widely known as “Gaby Ramos,” a radio personality on Utah Spanish-language station La Más Picosita on KMRI.

The guilty plea brings a case that stretched across two countries closer to an end — but it has also left members of Castilla’s family questioning whether justice has truly been served.

A NIGHT THAT ENDED IN TRAGEDY

The fatal incident happened in the early morning hours of October 17, 2021, at the home of Castilla’s sister in Taylorsville, Utah.

According to charging documents and testimony reported by local news outlets, Burciaga had been at the same party as Castilla earlier that night.

Prosecutors alleged that he became enraged after seeing his former fiancée dancing with another man.

The situation later escalated at the home.

Castilla contacted police after Burciaga allegedly confronted her. He eventually left, but returned about 15 minutes later.

During the subsequent confrontation, Castilla was shot seven times.

Her sister, Rocio Sifuentes, was inside the home and witnessed what happened. Castilla’s young daughter was also present and could hear the incident from another room.

HE FLED TO MEXICO

After the shooting, Burciaga fled the United States and returned to Chihuahua, Mexico.

Authorities searched for him for more than a year before he was arrested in Chihuahua in November 2022.

He was eventually extradited to the United States and returned to Utah in May 2023, where he was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail while awaiting trial.

The case had originally involved more serious allegations, including aggravated murder, aggravated burglary and aggravated assault.

Under the plea agreement, prosecutors reduced the primary charge from aggravated murder to murder and dismissed the aggravated burglary charge. The aggravated assault allegation was also replaced with reckless endangerment.

HER SISTER DOES NOT SUPPORT THE DEAL

Rocio Sifuentes, who witnessed her sister’s death, initially indicated that she supported the proposed agreement.

But she later changed her position and told prosecutors she did not support the plea deal.

Her opposition became one of the most emotional aspects of Thursday’s hearing, as members of Gabriela’s family gathered in court nearly five years after her death.

Deputy Salt Lake County Attorney Karissa McKinney defended the agreement, saying it provides accountability and finality while avoiding the possibility that Castilla’s young daughter would have to testify about the traumatic event at trial.

GABY RAMOS’ LEGACY

Before her death, Gabriela had built a strong connection with Utah’s Hispanic community through her work as a Spanish-language radio host.

Known professionally as Gaby Ramos, she was remembered not simply as a media personality, but as a familiar voice to listeners who had followed her career.

Her family has continued working to preserve her memory and make sure the court hears about the impact her death had on those who knew her.

In the days leading up to the plea hearing, relatives also asked people who knew Gabriela to write letters describing what she meant to them and the impact her loss had on their lives.

SENTENCING IS NEXT

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

His guilty plea formally ends the uncertainty surrounding his criminal responsibility for Gabriela’s death, but for her family, the emotional consequences of that night will continue long after the courtroom proceedings are over.

Five years after Gaby Ramos’ voice was silenced, her family is now waiting for the final chapter of a case that began with a devastating night in Utah — and ended with a guilty plea after a years-long pursuit for justice.