Boise man paid ‘ultimate price.’ Two teens sentenced, but they didn’t kill him
Two of the three people authorities charged with crimes related to the killing of a Boise 19-year-old pleaded guilty to robbery, and both will spend the first portion of their sentences in juvenile detention.
Once they transfer to the Idaho Department of Correction when they turn 21, they will serve years behind bars before they are eligible for parole, even though they were not directly responsible for 19-year-old Boise man Tiger Canoy’s shooting death.
Three people were accused of hatching a plan to rob Canoy and his girlfriend “by force or by fear,” an Ada County prosecutor said during sentencing, and Canoy was shot and then died in 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 he’s eligible for parole. Jordan Castillo, 17, received a 28.5-year sentence, with 13 years and six months fixed, meaning no possibility of parole until then.
Angel-Martinez and Castillo were originally charged as adults with first-degree murder and aiding in grand theft, in addition to two counts of robbery. Under Idaho law, someone may be charged with murder even if they didn’t actually commit the killing, as long as they were in the process of committing another crime.
As part of the agreements, the other charges were dismissed in exchange for guilty pleas to robbery.
Daniel Alaniz Pineda, 19, is accused of shooting Canoy and also entered a plea deal that was filed Dec. 11. The of agreement calls for him to plead guilty to first-degree murder and not guilty to robbery, aggravated battery and concealment of evidence.
During Castillo and Angel-Martinez’s sentencings, Tiger Canoy’s mother, Capri Canoy, said that while five young lives were deeply affected that night, she hoped to see punishments that reflected the emotional pain her family has faced.
“We are already serving our sentence,” Capri Canoy said. “Tiger was given 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 Eves, no New Year’s, no celebrations, nothing.”
‘I’m going to meet up with a homie 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 on Jan. 19 in the Albertsons parking lot on Cole Road.
Canoy knew Angel-Martinez from high school, Canoy’s mother told the court during the sentencings.
She said the last words she got from her son were: “OK mom, I’m gonna go meet up with a homie Angel 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 their 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 the wax, along with the phones and IDs of Canoy and his girlfriend, prosecutors allege.
The couple gave the perpetrators their belongings, and those three got back in their car and drove down Cole Road, according to authorities. Tiger and his girlfriend followed their car to get a view of their license plate, prosecutors said in court.
Angel-Martinez, Castillo and Pineda stopped at a church parking lot, and Canoy drove past; prosecutors said Alaniz Pineda got out of the car and fired two shots at Canoy’s vehicle.
The prosecution said in court that one bullet struck Canoy in the head and the other struck his girlfriend in the hip and elbow. Canoy was taken to a local hospital, where he died shortly after.
Defense attorneys say rehabilitation is possible
Attorneys for Castillo and Angel-Martinez argued for the court to give the two minors opportunities for rehabilitation while serving their sentences, and said they would have a better chance at reform at the juvenile facility.
Angel-Martinez’s defense attorney, Randall Barnum, talked about the formative years before the age of 21 and said that in juvenile correction, Angel-Martinez has been involved in the honor system and participated in the education process.
“I have seen (Angel-Martinez) dedicate himself to following rules, making himself better, improving himself, doing what he can to make tomorrow better despite those particular circumstances, because at the end of the day that is all he can do,” Barnum stated.
Ada County Judge Joseph Borton, who presided over both cases, agreed to allow Castillo and Angel-Martinez to stay in juvenile detention until the age of 21.
Both Angel-Martinez and Castillo made statements to Canoy’s family and his girlfriend during the sentencings.
“I am truly sorry for what I did the day of the tragedy. I also hope that one day that you will not see me as a monster, because I want to use my life to do something good for others and respect the lives I’ve harmed,” Castillo said.
‘He was trusting and loyal; they took advantage of that’
Capri Canoy told the court that the second-worst moment in her life was when she received the call that her only son had been shot. She said the worst was when she had to decide to remove him from life support in the hospital.
“The impact of his loss will continue to haunt our family for the rest of our lives,” Capri Canoy said. “I died beside my son that day. The only difference is that I continue breathing; Tiger does not.”
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 an early age. She said he struggled to make friends growing up.
Capri Canoy said that during high school, her son became more social and made many friends. She said he met his girlfriend around that time, and they became inseparable. The two were saving money to move into their own apartment, “excitedly planning their future together.”
“He was a person people remember, even if they only met him once or twice,” she said. “He had such a big personality and at 6-foot-3-inches tall he really stood out in a crowd. He loved to laugh, joke around, and most of all he loved his music.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated Dec. 12 to reflect the plea agreement for Daniel Alaniz Pineda.
This story was originally published December 11, 2025 at 4:00 AM.
