Defense attorneys: DJ Bell case erodes trust in Salt Lake County DA

SALT LAKE CITY — It was a strange scene in 3rd District Court this week as prosecutors, used to asking questions, were grilled on the witness stand. David "D.J." Bell, acquitted one year ago in a high profile child kidnapping case, was now sitting on the district attorney's side of the courtroom.

Bell was accused of kidnapping two children and was later acquitted. The incident led to a beating in which Bell and a companion were injured.

Attorneys for seven people accused of severely beating Bell after a late-night party on July 4, 2008, called Salt Lake County District Attorney Lohra Miller and several of her subordinates to testify about why prosecutors charged the very people who had cooperated with them during Bell's trial.

The fallout from the case could damage the everyday working relationships among prosecutors and defense attorneys, they warned.

Lisa Aiono, Lulu Latu, Ieta Mageo and Ricky Peace, parents of the children involved, along with three others accused in the beating, say prosecutors told their clients they could face misdemeanor charges in South Salt Lake, but promised that the district attorney would not charge them with felonies. Nevertheless, all seven were charged in March with various felony assault and riot counts.

Angela Micklos, the lead prosecutor on the kidnapping case, denied Monday that she made any such promise. She testified she told the witnesses her office was still considering charges but that the decision was not up to her. Micklos left the district attorney's office shortly after the trial to join the State Board of Pardons and Parole.

But the other prosecutor in Bell's trial, Tupakk Renteria, testified Monday that in a private meeting on the first day of the Bell trial, Micklos told Peace and his attorney, Solomon Chacon, that the district attorney's office would not file felony charges.

Chacon also testified that Micklos made that promise. He said he was angry when he later learned that Peace and others had been charged.

"When charges were filed, it totally blew me away," Chacon said. "I was flabbergasted."

Several of the defendants also testified about their dealings with Micklos.

"It seemed like everything was set in stone every time I talked to her," Peace said. "It turns out she doesn't have the authority to make any of these promises she makes."

Lulu Latu added, "That was my understanding, that the state was not going to come after me."