Angelica Kica Johanne Hernandez

Angelica "Kica" Johanne Hernandez was a 13-year-old Hispanic girl from Salt Lake City, Utah, who was known for her big heart and love for her family. Friends described Kica as being full of life and caring deeply for the people around her. She was a student at Clayton Middle School, and her presence is greatly missed by those who knew her.

On the afternoon of April 26, 2023, Angelica was at home, sitting on the couch and attending her online math class. Her older brother, 16-year-old Joseph Michael Landers, was in the room with three other boys when he pulled a gun from his pocket and asked, “Who’s trying to get popped?” Angelica warned him to stop, saying, “because what if you accidentally do pull it?” According to witnesses, Joseph then loaded a clip into the gun and cocked it to scare his sister. He pointed the weapon at her head, aiming its laser sight, and asked, “Oh, should I shoot her right here? Right here?” While Angelica sat quietly, he pulled the trigger.

Angelica was fatally wounded by the single gunshot. After the shot, witnesses said Joseph seemed upset, ran from the room, and told his mother, “I’m so sorry, I shot Kica.” Emergency responders arrived at the family’s home on West Wright Circle to find Angelica critically injured, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Joseph fled but was arrested by police a short time later after boarding a public transit bus.

In the days that followed, friends and family gathered at Sherwood Park for a candlelight vigil to honor her memory. Loved ones created a memorial of balloons, stuffed animals, and ribbons outside her home. A friend of the family told reporters they wanted people to know that Kica mattered. A viewing was held on May 8, 2023, at Starks Funeral Parlor.

Joseph Landers was charged as an adult with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a restricted person. He was 18 years old when he was sentenced to a term of one to 15 years in prison for killing his sister. A judge gave him credit for the more than a year and a half he had already spent in custody. The case was closed with his sentencing.