A former Fort Bliss soldier was sentenced to more than three decades in prison for his role in the fatal shooting of a couple following an argument outside of an East-Central El Paso bar.
Aaron John, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of murder and two counts of attempted capital murder in the July 13, 2023, mass shooting outside of Ditzy Duck Bar
, El Paso District Attorney James Montoya announced in a news release.James Nicholson Jr., 26, and his girlfriend Alexa Retana, 27, were killed in the shooting outside the bar in the Airway Plaza at 1160 Airway Blvd.
Jason Webb, 27, Sebastian Alexander Benecke, 32, Samuel Munoz, 29, and Alexa's brother, John Retana, 30, were also injured in the shooting.
Judge Patrick Garcia of the 384th District Court sentenced
John to 35 years in prison on each count, El Paso court records show. The sentences will be served concurrently. The plea and sentencing hearing was held on Aug. 21 after John reached a plea agreement with the district attorney's office. John was set to go to trial on Sept. 25.
"This senseless act of violence claimed two lives, left four others wounded, and forever changed the course of two families’ lives,” Montoya said in a statement. “While these prosecutions can never undo that loss, they ensure that both men who fired weapons that night are held accountable for their respective roles in this tragedy. I want to thank the Nicholson and Retana families for their patience and strength throughout this process."
John claimed he did not shoot into the crowd and instead fired his gun in the air, a complaint affidavit stated. He added that former Fort Bliss soldier Andrew Williams, 23, was the one who fired into the crowd.
Prosecutors claimed John initially fired his own gun into the air and then at prospective witnesses, the news release states.
Williams pleaded guilty to one count each of murder, attempted capital murder of multiple persons, and attempted capital murder involving obstruction or retaliation in July 2025. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
El Paso mass shooting leaves 2 dead, 4 injured
Nicholson Jr. and Alexa Retana were out celebrating their anniversary with friends and family at the bar about 12:15 a.m. on July 13, 2023. As the group sat at the bar’s patio, an argument broke out between the group and John and Williams.
The men started fighting. No information was released about the cause of the fight.
The men "disengaged," but the arguing, pushing and shoving continued, the affidavit states. John had a Glock 21 .45-caliber handgun and Williams had a Glock 19 9mm handgun.
Williams followed Nicholson Jr. toward a black SUV parked in front of the bar before shooting him, the affidavit states.
He "then continues to shoot multiple times in the direction of the crowd," and John allegedly starts shooting his gun into the air and then toward people in the parking lot, the affidavit states.
Authorities define a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are shot, resulting in death or injury.
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Former Fort Bliss soldier gets prison in fatal El Paso bar mass shooting
