Three men linked to the death of a man outside the Salt Palace Convention Center this month were charged Wednesday with murder and aggravated robbery, court records show.
According to charging documents, 18-year-old Nogoweit Kug is accused of shooting and killing 41-year-old Deliford Knight on Sept. 3 outside Sneaker Con, a one-day, buy-sell-trade sneaker event.
Knight was one of several people who, according to investigators, have attended several similar conventions and allegedly scammed other attendees through betting matches. One of the men charged Wednesday told police that the victim stole money from him.
Deng Mawut Buk, 22, and Joshua Goy Riak, 21, have been described by police as accomplices in the slaying. Buk is also charged with obstruction of justice because police said he changed his appearance in an attempt to avoid getting caught.
Buk is the brother of Buk Mawut Buk, who was charged last October with aggravated murder in the death of University of Utah football player Aaron Lowe, the Salt Lake County district attorney’s office confirmed Wednesday.
Surveillance footage from inside the convention center around 3 p.m. on Sept. 3 shows Deng Mawut Buk, Kug and Riak approach Knight, who is sitting down, and play cards with him, the documents state. An argument then breaks out, and all four men exit the venue, getting into a physical fight in the street.
At one point, Kug, Buk and Riak start fighting Knight between a parked car and a vehicle that is stuck in traffic, according to the document. Kug ultimately pulls a gun out of his pants and shoots Knight after the man starts to walk away, the document states.
Buk runs off, and Kug and Riak then go through Knight’s pockets and take out a wad of cash before also fleeing the scene, the document states.
Police found Knight in the street with a single gunshot wound to the chest. Knight was taken to a hospital, where he died.
The next day, police arrested Buk after executing a search warrant. On Sept. 5, detectives arrested Riak.
Kug surrendered to police on Sept. 6. Before that, officials had identified him publicly and issued a warning that he should be considered armed and dangerous.
Riak told police that he lost $1,000 to Knight while playing cards, and accused the man of stealing $2,000 out of his pocket. He also told officers that he saw Kug shoot Knight.
According to police, Buk is a documented gang member, and was on probation at the time of the shooting for assaulting a police officer and failing to stop at the command of law enforcement, crimes he was found guilty of in 2020.
Riak is a member of the same gang as Buk, police said, and was on probation for possession of a firearm as a restricted person and theft by receiving stolen property. He was convicted in 2020 as well.
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