Juan Manuel Vasquez faces between 20 to 64 years in prison Thursday when a judge sentences him for killing two teenagers during a brawl in Eastridge Park.

On Jan.14, a jury found Vasquez, 21, guilty of second-degree murder in the Jan. 8, 2009 shooting deaths of Uriel Rascon, 18, and Luis Burciaga, 17.

El Paso County Sheriff’s investigators said the fight was sparked be a dispute over a stolen iPod.

Prosecutors had sought a first-degree murder verdict, arguing that Vasquez brought a semiautomatic rifle to what everyone else thought was a fist fight.

Vasquez’ defense attorney countered that his client acted in self-defense after seeing his girlfriend get punched in the head during the melee.

The jurors concluded that Vasquez, “acted upon provoked passion” when he killed the two men with an SKS rifle.

The sentencing hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. before 4th Judicial District Judge Timothy J. Schutz.

The Gazette will be live blogging from the courtroom. For updates, visit “The Sidebar” blog at http://thesidebar.freedomblogging.com/.

Juan Vasquez Photo by