Man who killed woman during argument as a teen sent to prison for manslaughter

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Izaak Joseph Vijil, 21, was sentenced to one to 15 years for manslaughter.

Vijil stabbed Melissa Wood to death in 2021 during an argument over racial slurs.

The jury reduced his charge from murder to manslaughter citing "imperfect self-defense."

SALT LAKE CITY — A Murray man convicted of manslaughter for killing a woman during an argument about racial slurs has been sentenced to one to 15 years in prison.

Izaak Joseph Vijil, now 21, was 16 on April 22, 2021, when he and others walked toward Melissa Wood, 34, who was with children in an apartment complex parking lot.

Vijil or someone else in the group used a racial slur, and Wood told him in a serious tone that he should not use the word in front of children, according to previous testim