Man helped his friend 'get away with murder' in deputy's death, jurors told

NEPHI — A man facing several charges in connection with the fatal shooting of a Millard County sheriff's deputy was painted as the "wrong kind of loyal" to the officer's alleged killer.

A state prosecutor described Ruben Chavez-Reyes in 4th District Court on Monday as a good friend to Roberto Miramontes Roman, who is charged with capital murder in the January death of Josie Greathouse Fox.

Chavez-Reyes allowed Roman to drive his car, picked him up when he was stranded, drove him to Salt Lake City and made a plan to go to Mexico in the early morning hours after Fox was shot, said prosecutor Patrick Finlinson.

"He was willing to help his friend get away with murder," he told the jury in his opening statement. "I'm sure you'll conclude that Ruben Chavez-Reyes was the wrong kind of loyal."

Chavez-Reyes, 37, is charged with obstruction of justice and burglary, second-degree felonies, and evidence tampering, possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person and burglary, third-degree felonies.

Fox was gunned down Jan. 5 while making a traffic stop of a suspected burglar who was driving on U.S. 50 in Millard County. Roman reportedly told police he shot her with an AK-47 because he thought she was pulling him over simply for being Mexican.

Defense attorney James Slavens agreed in his opening statement that Chavez-Reyes is a good friend but also "a good person" who was reluctant to help Roman. Furthermore, he said his client knew nothing about a police officer being shot until after Chavez-Reyes and Roman arrived in Salt Lake City.

The question, Slavens said, is when did Chavez-Reyes find out and what did he do when he found out. "That's important," he said.

Slavens expects the prosecution to make the case about the shooting of Fox.

"But it's not about that death. This is a trial about what happened after that. This case is about Ruben and his actions and whether he should be criminally liable for his actions."

Chavez-Reyes earlier told police that he spent the night before the shooting at his apartment in Fillmore with Roman watching videos, smoking meth and handling Roman's AK-47 rifle. He told police that Roman called him and convinced him to give him a ride because his car was stuck in a snow bank west of Nephi. Chavez-Reyes told police that it wasn't until they arrived at Roman's cousin's house in Salt Lake City that Roman told him that he'd "broke a cop," which he took to mean he had killed a police officer.

The two men later tried to hire a driver to take them to Los Angeles but lacked the money. They paid to go as far as Beaver where they ended up hiding in a shed in a mobile home park where a friend of Roman lives. A resident discovered them in the shed the next morning and called police. They were apprehended without incident.

Also Monday, police officers from several jurisdictions testified about the events that led to Fox's death and the search for her killer.

Fourth District Judge Donald J. Eyre granted a defense request earlier this month to move the trial from Millard County to neighboring Juab County. It is scheduled to run through Friday.

e-mail: romboy@desnews.com