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Ute football player’s alleged murderer Buk Buk faces preliminary hearing

Megan Pickett

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 28: Aaron Lowe #2 of the Utah Utes looks on before their game against the Washington Huskies at Husky Stadium on November 28, 2020 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — After many postponements, the murder suspect in the killing of Ute football player Aaron Lowe, has finally had a preliminary hearing in a Salt Lake City court, pleading not guilty to his charges.

In September of 2021, Aaron Lowe and an unidentified woman were shot at a party in Sugar House. Lowe died from his injuries, and the woman was seriously injured.

Suspect Buk M. Buk pleaded not guilty to charges of:

Detectives originally had a hard time getting people to come forward with video and photos from the house party where Lowe was killed. However, they were able to get a Snapchat video taken at the party, which showed the moments leading up to the shooting.

After a witness came forward with video evidence, the judge ruled that Buk will stand trial. His next court appearance will be on April 10 in the Third District Court of SLC.

The video shows a man, who appears to be Aaron Lowe, standing with a woman and a man when an argument seems to break out across the street. You can hear someone yell something along the lines of, “You got a gun, shoot it then.” You can then hear gunshots; this is the moment police say they believe Aaron Lowe and the woman were shot.

Eyewitness accounts report that before the shooting, Buk, an uninvited guest at the party, was causing problems, he was then seen saying something in a low voice to another guest before he retrieved a pistol from the person’s bag.

Police say Buk allegedly took the pistol, walked out of the home, crossed the street, and fired two to three shots at Lowe and an unidentified female. Both victims fell to the ground immediately. Police say Buk shot at them five to six more times while they were on the ground, which you can hear in the video.

Salt Lake City Police arrested Buk in connection with the murder later that week. District Attorney Sim Gill said that because of all the evidence received, they were able to arrest him.

“We were able to create a narrative of the facts and those facts led us to today,” he said.

Buk denied being at the party when he was interviewed by detectives. In the preliminary hearing held today, Buk pleaded not guilty to all the charges he faces. The District Attorney’s Office reminds the public that Buk is innocent until proven guilty.

Prior to the current charges he is facing, Buk was previously charged with burglary, animal cruelty, and giving false information to law enforcement regarding his age.

It is important to note that Buk’s birthdate has not been consistent across police records, and in what he has told police. When Buk faced burglar charges, the alleged birth certificate he showed police, had his birthdate as Nov. 19, 2001. His green card, however, had his birthdate as Jan. 1, 1999. According to a Salt Lake District Attorney, listing a birthdate as Jan. 1 can happen when a refugee comes into the states without documentation.

In the latest charges, Buk’s birthdate has been updated to May 5, 1997; which would make him 25 years old instead of 24. ABC4 is unaware of why the change was made to Buk’s birthdate in the latest police charges.