By james art A California man who spent two years plotting to kill the 16-year-old girl he accused of kicking him out of school will never be released from prison.
Owen Skyler Shoover, 23, was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the 2019 slaying of Aranda Briones, KESQ reported. He was sentenced in August.
“The victim didn’t deserve this. She was just a kid,” said District Attorney Mike Hestrin. “Her whole life was ahead of her. It was a huge loss – all because of one man’s choice. It’s really heartbreaking.”
Shover was expelled after Briones told law enforcement about a gun he brought to school
On November 7, 2017, a group of students, including the unfortunate couple, were hanging out at a local park instead of attending class. Shawver had a small gun in him that day.
When a school truant officer broke up the party, Shawver threw the weapon at Briones and yelled at her to hide it, but Briones panicked. She threw the gun into a drain – and was apparently caught disposing of the firearm.
When questioned by law enforcement and school officials, she finally told the truth: The gun belonged to Shover and he was the one who gave it to her. In February 2018, both Briones and Shover were fired.
Shawver lured Bryans into dating him and then killed her
In January 2019, Shawver killed Briones and then buried her body somewhere in the San Bernardino Mountains. So far, the remains of the girl have not been found.
Prosecutors say Shawver was seething for months and then spent November 2018 to January 2019 trying to buy another gun, according to Snapchat, Facebook and other conversations uncovered by detectives.
He eventually succeeded, and on January 12, 2019, he asked Briones out. She agreed to meet him the next day and was seen by friends getting into Shover’s Nissa Versa and heading to Box Springs Mountain.
“Prepare shovels and lighter fluid”
She was never seen again, although within the next hour she posted photos from the car of her old friends getting together on social media. However, minutes before 6 p.m., the car headed north toward a San Bernardino County trailer park. On the way, Shawver texted his brother: “Be ready for tonight. Prepare shovels and lighter fluid.’
The boys then headed into the high mountains on State Routes 138 and 18. Between approximately 8:30 p.m. and 10:15 p.m., there is no good indication of exactly where they traveled due to the lack of cell phone data. It wasn’t until he returned to his father’s house that Owen Shawver’s phone turned on again.
Gary Anthony Shoover, 27, pleaded guilty in March to one count of accessory after the fact. He was sentenced to one year in the county jail, followed by 12 months of probation. The older brother was initially accused of Briones’ murder (and the ambush improvement), but that charge was dropped in 2022.