Family forced to wait as court error postpones murder sentencing
Originally Published: 05 MAY 26 15:20 ET
By Mythili Gubbi
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OGDEN, Utah (KSTU) -- A family thought they could close a tragic chapter of their life on Monday when the woman accused of murdering their loved one was supposed to be sentenced. But a mix-up in court led to the family having to wait a little longer for justice.
"Anything that a son-in-law could ask for, really, she was a protector, she was always there for me whenever I needed her,” described Shiloh Alires about his mother-in-law, Nakeena Youngman. “She was the mom I never had and I wished for.”
Youngman was a beloved mother, aunt, grandma, cousin and friend.
In April 2025, she was found with a gunshot wound on 800 North in Ogden. She died at the hospital. Since then, her family has been trying to cope with her loss.
"We're hoping today we could get it so it could ease up the little ones a little bit more,” Alires added. “Now it’s just a lot harder.”
Ana Maria Zaragoza, 38, was scheduled to be sentenced for Youngman's murder on Monday. She pleaded guilty to murder in March of this year and had charges dropped for weapon possession and obstruction of justice.
But after loved ones were already in the courthouse, the procedures were postponed because Zaragoza was not transported from jail.
"We apologize for not being able to proceed,” Judge Craig Hall said. “We just can't proceed without the defendant being here."
Stephanie Wilkinson is a longtime friend of the family.
"I used to babysit Nakeena, anytime mom went somewhere, I was the older kid,” Wilkinson recalled. “A lot of laughs and ups and downs throughout, but she was a beautiful, beautiful person."
She said having to leave the courtroom on Monday without the sentencing was tough.
"The family has had to emotionally and mentally prepare for this. We have been preparing for this for 13 months, but really for two months, just waiting for the sentencing to be today,” she said. “We have taken off work, we have redone our whole schedules, but to listen to the children cry knowing this day was supposed to sort of be the end and it is not because they failed to get her to the courthouse is absolutely unacceptable."
Zaragoza is currently being held at the Davis County Jail. FOX 13 News spoke to the Davis County Sheriff's Office about why she wasn't brought to court. An official there said it was the Weber County Sheriff's Office's responsibility to transport the defendant since the courthouse is in their jurisdiction. But, they also said that both sheriff's offices did not get the paperwork from the court notifying them of the hearing, so they did not know they had to transport her.
The sentencing was moved to Friday, May 15, at 1:30 p.m.
"We're processing throughout the weeks, that we'd have justice and stuff, and today, now, they can’t bring her here,” Alires added.
Through Mother's Day and over the next 10 days, they will continue to wait for justice.
"Quite bugged, honestly, quite frustrated, quite bugged,” Alires said.
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