Two of three authorities charged with crimes related to the slaying of a 19-year-old Boise man have pleaded guilty to robbery, and both will serve the first part of their sentences in juvenile detention.
Once they transfer to the Idaho Department of Corrections when they turn 21, they will spend years behind bars before being eligible for parole, even though they were not directly responsible for the shooting death of 19-year-old Boise man Tiger Canoy.
Three people were accused of plotting to rob Canoy and his girlfriend “by force or fear,” an Ada County prosecutor said during the sentencing, and Canoy was shot and later died at a hospital in January 2025.
Miguel Angel-Martinez, 16, was sentenced to up to 26 years in prison and will have to serve 11 years before being eligible for parole. Jordan Castillo, 17, received a 28.5-year sentence with 13 years and six months suspended, meaning there is no possibility of parole until then.
Angel-Martinez and Castillo were initially charged as adults with first-degree murder and aiding and abetting grand larceny, in addition to two counts of robbery. Under Idaho law, someone can be charged with murder, even if they didn’t commit the crime, as long as they were in the process of committing another crime.
As part of the plea deals, the other charges were dismissed in exchange for guilty pleas to robbery.
Daniel Alaniz Pineda, 19, is accused of shooting Canoy and has pleaded not guilty to six charges, including first-degree murder, robbery, aggravated assault and concealing evidence.
During the sentencing of Castillo and Angel-Martinez, Tiger Canoy’s mother, Capri Canoy, said that although five young lives were deeply affected that night, she hoped to see sentences that reflected the emotional pain her family faced.
“We’re already serving our sentence,” said Capri Canoy. “Tiger had no choice but to pay the ultimate price, his entire life. We, his family, are serving a life sentence without him. No visits, no phone calls, no letters, no Christmas Eve, no New Year’s Eve, no holidays, nothing.”
“I’m going to meet a friend from high school”
Angel-Martinez contacted Canoy asking to buy marijuana wax from him, according to Ada County prosecutors, and they made a plan to meet Jan. 19 in the Albertsons parking lot on Cole Road.
Canoy had known Angel-Martinez since high school, Canoy’s mother said in court during the sentencing.
She said the last words she got from her son were: “Okay mom, I’m going to meet an angel friend from high school. I’ll be back in a few minutes. I love you.”
Before the meeting, Angel-Martinez, Castillo and Alaniz Pineda procured firearms, prosecutors said.
Canoy and his girlfriend, who lived with the family, drove to the parking lot. Surveillance footage showed Angel-Martinez, Castillo and Pineda getting out of the vehicle wearing masks and holding guns, the prosecution said.
Castillo was seen slashing a tire on the vehicle and Alaniz Pineda pointed a gun at Canoy, demanding wax, along with Canoy’s and his girlfriend’s phones and IDs, prosecutors allege.
The couple gave the perpetrators their belongings, and the three got back into their car and drove down Cole Road, according to authorities. Tiger and his girlfriend followed his car to see its license plate, prosecutors said in court.
Angel-Martinez, Castillo and Pineda pulled into a church parking lot and Canoy drove by; Prosecutors said Alaniz Pineda got out of the car and fired two shots into Canoy’s vehicle.
Prosecutors said in court that one bullet hit Canoy in the head and the other hit his girlfriend in the hip and elbow. Canoy was taken to a local hospital, where he died a short time later.
Defense attorneys say rehabilitation is possible
Attorneys for Castillo and Angel-Martinez argued that the court should offer the two juveniles rehabilitation opportunities while they serve their sentences and said they would have a better chance of reforming at the juvenile facility.
Angel-Martinez’s attorney, Randall Barnum, spoke about his formative years before age 21 and said that in juvenile corrections, Angel-Martinez was involved in the honor system and participated in the education process.
“I’ve seen (Angel-Martinez) dedicate himself to following the rules, getting better, getting better, doing whatever he can to make tomorrow better despite these particular circumstances because at the end of the day, that’s all he can do,” Barnum said.
Ada County Judge Borton Joseph, who presided over both cases, agreed to allow Castillo and Angel-Martinez to remain in juvenile detention until they are 21 years old.
Both Angel-Martinez and Castillo made statements to Canoy’s family and his girlfriend during the sentencing.
“I am truly sorry for what I did on the day of the tragedy. I also hope that one day you will not see me as a monster because I want to use my life to do something good for others and to respect the lives that I hurt,” Castillo said.
Tiger Canoy’s family has raised more than $1,500 through GoFundMe to pay for cremation costs and legal fees.
— He was trusting and loyal; they took advantage of it’
Capri Canoy told the court that the second worst moment of her life was when she got the call that her only son had been shot. She said the worst was when she had to decide to take him off life support in the hospital.
“The effect of his loss will continue to haunt our family for the rest of our lives,” said Capri Canoy. “I died next to my son that day. The only difference is I’m still breathing, Tiger isn’t.”
She said her son was a very trusting and loyal person and the defendants took advantage of that.
She recalled how her son overcame many obstacles in his life after being diagnosed with multiple behavioral disorders at a young age. She said she struggled to make friends growing up.
Capri Canoy said that during high school, her son became more social and made many friends. She said she met her girlfriend during that time and they became inseparable. The pair were saving money to move into their own flat, “excitedly planning their future together”.
“He was a person that people remember, even if they only met him once or twice,” she said. “He had such a big personality, and at 6 feet 3 inches tall, he really stood out in a crowd. He loved to laugh, joke, and most of all, he loved music.”