Buku Maut Buku was sentenced to prison after killing Lowe and wounding Famori Pomare in a 2021 shooting spree.
By Jaime R. Calero | Featured in the Tribune Photos commemorating the life and accomplishments of University of Utah cornerback Aaron Marquez Rowe appear in the foyer of the Family Cathedral of Faith in Mesquite, Texas, where his funeral was held. It is displayed in the hall. Lowe was shot on September 26, 2021, at an aftergame party in Salt Lake City.
The man who shot and killed University of Utah football player Aaron Lowe has been sentenced to at least 18 years in prison and potentially up to life in prison.
Buku Maut Buku, now 25, killed Lowe and shot and killed Famori Pomare outside a party in September 2021.
According to court documents, Book, Lowe and another man got into an argument outside a house party in Salt Lake City. Police said Pomare tried to break up the discussion, but Buku crossed the street and began firing.
Lowe, 21, died at the scene after being shot multiple times. Pomare, who was 20 years old at the time, was taken to hospital in critical condition, but he survived.
Buk pleaded guilty in March to first-degree felony murder and attempted first-degree felony murder. This was a reduced plea after he was originally charged with aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder, possession of a firearm by a restricted person, and obstruction of justice.
Mr. Buku faced the possibility of the death penalty on the original charges. But prosecutors and Rowe's mother, Donna Rowe-Stern, agreed to take the death penalty off the table.
After Buk pleaded guilty in March, Lowe-Stern told The Salt Lake Tribune that she felt “defeated.” She said she agreed to take her death penalty off the table only because she thought it would mean her life in prison without parole.
First-degree felony murder carries a sentence of 15 years to life in prison. Mr. Buk received the maximum sentence for both first-degree felony murder and attempted first-degree felony murder. He was sentenced to three years in prison for attempted felony murder. He will serve his sentences consecutively.
The Utah Board of Pardons and Parole will now make the final decision on whether Buk will spend the rest of his life in prison.
“He could be free. He could have a life. My son doesn't have a life,” Lowe-Stern told the Tribune in March. “So it's going to look like he won either way. Even if he serves 20 years and gets free, he's still a young guy, so it's like he won. There's still life in him.” There'll be a chance, my baby. [doesn’t] Please seize that opportunity. ”
