A California man who plotted for two years to kill the 16-year-old girl he blamed for getting him expelled from school will never get out of prison.
Owen Skyler Shover, 23, was sentenced to life without parole in the 2019 murder of Aranda Briones, KESQ reported. He was convicted in August.
"The victim didn't deserve this. She was just a kid," District Attorney Mike Hestrin said. "She had her whole life ahead of her. This was a tremendous loss — all because of one person's choice. It's truly heartbreaking."
Shover was Expelled After Briones Told Law Enforcement About a Gun He Had Brought to School
On Nov. 7, 2017, a group of students, including the ill-fated pair, were hanging out at a local park instead of attending classes. Shover had a small handgun in his possession that day.
When a truancy officer broke up the party, Shover threw the weapon to Briones and shouted for her to hide it but Briones panicked. She threw the gun into a drainage canal — and apparently got 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 expelled.
Shover Lured Briones to Hang Out with Him and Then Killed Her
In January 2019, Shover killed Briones and then buried her body somewhere in the San Bernardino Mountains. Till date, the girl's remains haven't been found.
Prosecutors say that Shover seethed for months and then spent from November 2018 until January 2019 trying to buy another gun, according to Snapchat, Facebook, and other conversations detectives uncovered.
He eventually succeeded, and on January 12, 2019, invited Briones to hang out with him. She agreed to meet him the following day and was seen by friends getting into Shover's Nissa Versa and heading toward Box Springs Mountain.
'Get Shovels and Lighter Fluid Ready'
She was never seen again, although within the next hour she posted photographs from the car of the old friends being reunited to social media. However, minutes before 6 p.m., the car started driving north — toward a trailer park in San Bernardino County. Along the way, Shover messaged his brother: "Be ready for tonight. Get shovels and lighter fluid ready."
Then, the boys headed into the tall mountains — taking state Routes 138 and 18. Between roughly 8:30 p.m. and 10:15 p.m., there is no good indication of exactly where they traveled due to the lack of cellular phone data. Owen Shover's phone only turned back on again when he returned to his father's house.
Gary Anthony Shover, 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 charged with Briones' murder (and the lying-in-wait enhancement) as well — but that charge was dismissed in 2022.
