A second defendant was sentenced to 35 years in prison for his role as an accomplice in the 2023 shooting outside an East El Paso club, which killed two people and injured four.
Aaron John, 25, pled guilty to murder and attempted capital murder on Friday, Aug. 21, in the 384th District Court before Judge Patrick Garcia, according to an El Paso County District Attorney’s Office press release.
The shooting occurred on July 13, 2023, in the parking lot of the Ditzy Duck Bar, which is located on Airway Boulevard.
James Nicholson, 26, his girlfriend Alexa Retana, 27, and a bunch of their friends and family were on the bar’s terrace when an argument turned physical, officials said.
Surveillance video taken from a nearby pub shows co-defendant Andrew James Williams, 20, opening fire on the group.
Williams earlier pled guilty to murder and attempted capital murder, and he was sentenced to life in prison in July 2025.
Nicholson and Retana died at the site, while four others were injured.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, John was also armed at the time of the altercation, firing his own handgun into the air before shooting at prospective witnesses.
Leave a Reply