SALT LAKE CITY, UT – A calculated plan of revenge led to tragedy in Salt Lake County, culminating in the kidnapping and death of a young woman who had dared to cooperate with law enforcement. The masterminds behind the plot, Carolina Marquez and her adult son, Fernando Marquez, learned their fates this week after being sentenced for their roles in the brutal crime.
The case centers around the February 2021 abduction and killing of 25-year-old Conzuelo “Nicole” Solorio-Romero, a mother whose decision to speak with police would cost her life. Prosecutors say Carolina Marquez, 43, orchestrated the elaborate scheme to silence Solorio-Romero after discovering the woman had cooperated with authorities in an investigation involving Marquez’s family.
According to court records, Marquez directed two men, Orlando Tobar and Jorge Medina-Reyes, to forcibly remove Solorio-Romero from an apartment at gunpoint. The men then drove her through northern Utah—an apparent attempt to bide time—before returning to the Marquez residence in West Valley City.
Inside the house, the violence escalated. Tobar, armed with a knife, marched Solorio-Romero inside, where the attackers interrogated her about her cooperation with police. The questioning ended in gunfire: Medina-Reyes shot Solorio-Romero in the head, and Tobar fired a second shot, ensuring her death.
The group met at a taco restaurant owned by Marquez to discuss how to hide the evidence. There, they enlisted the help of Cristian Morales, known in criminal circles as “The Mechanic.” Working quickly, Tobar and Morales wrapped the woman’s body in plastic bags, loaded it into a vehicle, and disposed of it in a remote field in Tooele County.
While the body was being driven out of the city, prosecutors say Marquez remained at her home to meticulously clean up the crime scene. Surveillance images later presented in court depicted her laughing and calmly tidying, as though she was unfazed by the violence that had taken place only hours before.
During her sentencing hearing, Marquez admitted that her actions were reckless and acknowledged her role in Solorio-Romero’s death. But she also claimed she never intended for the woman to be killed—a defense that did little to sway the court or the victim’s devastated relatives. Prosecutors described her expressions of remorse as deeply lacking in sincerity.
Justice was delivered in the form of lengthy consecutive sentences: two to 20 years for second-degree manslaughter, followed by six years to life for aggravated kidnapping. Her son, Fernando, 27, received a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to obstruction of justice.
Victims’ family members recounted the devastating loss in court, with Jessica Romero-McDonald, Solorio-Romero’s sister, emphasizing the personal impact of the crime on her family and the community. She pledged to oppose Marquez’s eventual release at any parole hearing, underscoring that forgiveness was not an option.
Others involved in the conspiracy also faced significant prison time. Tobar and Medina-Reyes pleaded guilty to murder and aggravated kidnapping, each receiving sentences of 15 years to life for their roles. Two additional defendants admitted to lesser charges tied to the desecration of Solorio-Romero’s remains.
With the final chapter of the case written, one family’s tragedy has underscored the high price of betrayal and revenge—and highlighted the consequences for those who attempt to use violence to silence justice.