16-year-old charged as adult in stabbing and killing of Jordan High student

SANDY – A West Jordan boy had just turned 16 when he stabbed a Jordan High School student to death and was charged as an adult, according to police.

Christopher Cazares De la Rosa was arraigned Wednesday in 3rd District Court on one count of murder, a first-degree felony, and two counts of obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony. De la Rosa turned 16 less than two weeks before the murder.

De la Rosa is accused of stabbing and killing 16-year-old Kian Hamilton of Sandy, a freshman at Jordan High and member of the baseball team, during a fight in the parking lot of the Mountain American Expo Center, 9575 S. State Street, on Aug. 23.

“Two groups (were) involved in a fight in the parking lot” and De la Rosa and a friend had been “disputing” with Kian and his group of friends for about a year, according to the indictment. One of Kian's friends told police that “members of De la Rosa's group of friends had previously assaulted Kian and that had caused tension between them. (The friend) stated he had planned to fight with (De la Rosa's friend) to settle the matter.”

Another witness told police that De la Rosa and his friends went to the Jordan High School football game that night, knowing there would be a fight afterward in the nearby Mountain America Expo parking lot.

Kian's friend said he and De la Rosa's friend were the only ones who were supposed to fight. But after the confrontation, “several other fights broke out,” the indictment says.

“De la Rosa threw a rock at (Kian) and then de la Rosa and (Kian) began to fight, at which point De la Rosa pulled a knife from his waistband and stabbed (Kian),” the indictment states.

A witness heard Kian tell De la Rosa, “You don't even know me,” immediately before De la Rosa stabbed him, the indictment says.

After being taken into custody by police and told he was going to be arrested for murder, De la Rosa reportedly said, “'He died?' and asked the detective if he was joking and made comments about ruining his future.”

According to police, De la Rosa also mentioned a gang during the fight, linking him to the same gang that prosecutors say was involved in the killing of an 18-year-old man in the parking lot at the Mt. Olympus trailhead and has ties to a triple homicide in West Jordan in 2022.

“(De la Rosa) has been associated with documented … gang members. Members of the … gang have been involved in numerous violent crimes across the country. In addition, (De la Rosa) has been involved in several fights and had no qualms about using a weapon. (He) disposed of the weapon and instructed several individuals to delete their cell phone recordings of the fight,” charging documents state.