Authorities tracked down a Salvadoran murder suspect, who was released under the Biden administration and freed twice from jail in California, in Las Vegas, and charged him with murdering a 71-year-old veteran in Utah.
Axel Eduardo Chavez-Marroquin, from El Salvador, is accused of killing James Randell “Randy” Witten, a U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force veteran, in West Point, Utah. Randell on his porch when the suspect allegedly got out of a car and shot him multiple times.
Chavez-Marroquin, 24, of Canoga Park, California, has a criminal history including domestic violence. Immigration officials lodged two previous detainers for him in California, but he was released by local authorities twice since 2024, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said.
“Following his release, he went on to commit this heinous murder,” DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said. “This illegal alien should’ve never been allowed on our streets, and James Witten should still be alive today.”
Chavez-Marroquin now faces multiple felony charges in Davis County, Utah, including murder with a dangerous weapon, discharge of a firearm causing serious injury, dangerous weapon conduct by a restricted person, and obstruction of justice.
🚨A BIDEN-RELEASED ILLEGAL ALIEN MURDERED AN AIR FORCE VETERAN.
Axel Eduardo Chavez-Marroquin opened fire and killed James Randell “Randy” Witten, a 71-year-old veteran of the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force.
Chavez-Marroquin has a criminal history but was RELEASED TWICE by… https://t.co/WoInfujLbQ pic.twitter.com/vzkTeMqvqU
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) July 20, 2026
Witten was shot and killed in broad daylight on May 30, prompting an urgent search for a maroon Honda Civic seen speeding away from the scene, KSL News reported.
According to court documents, the veteran’s doorbell camera recorded the murder, which rattled his neighbors and the community. West Point is about 30 miles north of Salt Lake City, Utah.
KSL News reported he had been outside, hanging up porch decorations, and several neighbors reported hearing gunshots. Witten and his wife of 32 years, also an Air Force veteran, had recently returned from a cross‑country trip.
Multiple neighbors described Witten as friendly and active in volunteer work and his church community.
“It was kind of seeming like it was a targeted kind of incident,” a neighbor, Hannah, told KSL. “It wasn’t like a drive‑by or anything like that for sure.”
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police arrested Chavez-Marroquin on June 16, after he fled Utah following the shooting. He was charged with murder with a dangerous weapon and other charges and transferred to the Davis County Jail in Utah on June 29.
According to jail records, he is listed under Axel Chavez and remains in custody without bond. Booking photos are protected records under Utah law and not shown.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer for the third time against Chavez-Marroquin following his arrest for murder.
He entered the United States illegally through California in 2021 and was released into the country by the Biden Administration, DHS officials said in a news release.
Chavez-Marroquin’s criminal history includes a conviction for domestic violence in Santa Ana, Calif., in 2024 and another arrest for domestic violence in Laguna Niguel, Calif., in 2025, DHS said.
ICE lodged detainers for Chavez-Marroquin both times, but California authorities ignored them and released him from jail back into the community.
“ICE is now asking officials in Utah to commit to not releasing this criminal from jail and to work with ICE so that we can remove him from our country,” Bis said. “Reckless sanctuary policies in states like California are putting American lives at risk.”
According to unsealed charges, per KSL News, Witten’s Ring camera recorded the murder.
Video footage shows Witten was on his porch with his back to the street hanging a porch decoration when the Honda Civic parked across the street drove up to the home.
“A male leapt out of the front passenger seat and moved towards James firing approximately 10 rounds and killing James from behind,” the charges said.
The shooter went back to the car, and the driver sped away.
Surveillance footage from the area was used to identify the getaway car, which was located in Las Vegas on June 16, with the suspect inside, DHS said.
Investigators did not elaborate on if Witten was specifically targeted in the shooting and, if so, what was the shooter’s motive. Prosecutors said Chavez-Marroquin has no known ties to Utah, KSL News reported.
According to court documents, police received reports shortly after the shooting of a matching Civic with its license plate covered by something orange driving “erratically” nearby.
Another witness saw a passenger throwing items out of the vehicle, including donuts, a beanie, a bandana and gloves.
License plate readers confirm Chavez came to West Point directly from Nevada in the Honda Civic. He arrived eight hours before the shooting and left immediately after, authorities said.
Prosecutors deemed him a flight risk and requested he remain in custody since he is from El Salvador and recently fled from California, where he was on probation.
