Man faces murder charge in Utah

A man charged with capital murder in the 5-year-old shooting death of a Korean university student made his first Utah court appearance Friday. Marcus Lamont Crocker appeared before 3rd District Judge Deno Himonas after being transported from a federal prison in Colorado.

Crocker, 26, is charged with aggravated murder, which, if he is convicted, could carry the death penalty. He also is charged with aggravated robbery and obstruction of justice, both first-degree felonies, and possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a second-degree felony.

He is in the Salt Lake County Jail, but after questioning attorneys connected with the case, Himonas determined that Crocker is technically in federal custody so there is no question of bail or pretrial release in the pending Utah case. Crocker was in an Oklahoma federal prison on an unrelated charge but was moved to the Colorado prison.

The judge officially appointed attorneys Gilbert Athay and Scott Williams to represent Crocker, who is indigent. The case is being prosecuted by Vince Meister and Angela Micklos.

Prosecutors originally charged Crocker with first-degree felony murder, but later upped the charge to capital murder. They believe he is the person who fatally shot Kang Ho Lee, 24, a university student who was working in a family-owned convenience store in 2001 when a robbery occurred. Police said Lee cooperated and offered no resistance but was shot in the chest anyway.

Three other defendants also face first-degree felony murder and other charges in connection with the incident. They are Melissa Christina Caputo, 38, who is in a local drug treatment facility; Melissa Angela Chacon, 31, who is in prison in Utah; and Julian Treyvail Hayden, 25, who is out on bail.

---

E-mail: lindat@desnews.com