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SALT LAKE CITY — Two men charged with murder in connection with the 2009 death of an innocent bystander have been ordered to stand trial on the charges against them.
By all accounts, Krystal Flores was an innocent bystander who was simply attending a house party at 1309 S. Stewart Street on July 19, 2009, when she was shot and killed.
Four men have been charged with murder and aggravated burglary in this case. According to testimony:
• Nitokalisi Fonua, 28, told police he entered the home alone and spontaneously fired what would become the fatal shot when he thought Flores was trying to call 911.
• Pailate Lomu, 21, told police he wasn't armed and stayed in the car during the entire incident.
• George Angilau, 20, was acting as the lookout.
• Two witnesses said they saw Alexander Bloomfield, 30, inside the home at the time of the shooting, but a separate witness said Bloomfield didn't appear to have left the car and wasn't seen with a weapon.
Bloomfield and Lomu were ordered to stand trial Friday by 3rd District Judge Deno Himonas. Bloomfield will also stand trial for possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a second-degree felony.
The judge's decision came after a preliminary hearing spanning four separate days of testimony about the role the men played in the shooting of Flores, 22, who died from a gunshot wound to the head.
Bloomfield's then-girlfriend Shannon Moala, 33, testified earlier in the hearing that Bloomfield, Lomu, Fonua and Angilau are all associated with the predominantly Tongan, West Valley City-based gang the Baby Regulators. She said they left a West Valley party with a gun on July 19. She assumed they were going to retaliate against members of the rival Tongan Crips gang — who were having a party at a house adjacent to the one Flores was in — for an earlier drive-by shooting at Lomu's home.
Witnesses who were in the home said Flores was asleep on the couch when two men entered with guns. The witnesses had gathered in a bedroom to call police when they heard gunshots. They quickly returned to find Flores dead.
Both Juan Rodriguez and his younger sister testified there were two men in the home. Both placed Bloomfield inside, while Juan Rodriguez also identified Lomu. Lomu has told police he was at the scene, but didn't have a weapon and didn't leave the car.
But Moala said she had fallen asleep after the party in West Valley, awoke to the sound of gunfire and Bloomfield in the car with her. She said the pair picked up Fonua, who had blood on his arms and clothing, and left the scene.
Fonua was not arrested or charged in connection with the case until January of this year. According to police testimony offered in court Friday, Fonua said after his arrest that he was alone in the home when he shot Flores and that none of it was planned.
"As he was backing out (of the home) he saw Krystal on the couch in a position that he thought she was calling police so he raised his gun toward her and fired to scare her," Salt Lake police detective Justin Hudson said.
He said no one else played a part in the shooting, although police say Angilau was acting as a lookout and witnesses have placed Bloomfield in the home.
The judge said he felt there was "ample evidence" to bind both Bloomfield and Lomu over. The two men are scheduled for an arraignment April 4.
Angilau is facing three additional charges of felony discharge of a firearm, a third-degree felony, while Fonua has also been charged with one count of possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a second-degree felony.
Angilau has already been ordered to stand trial after waiving his right to a preliminary hearing. He was awaiting an arraignment date pending the bindover of Bloomfield and Lomu. A preliminary hearing has not yet been held for Fonua.
Moala was charged with obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony, and negligent homicide, a class A misdemeanor. She pleaded guilty to both counts and has since been released pending sentencing.
E-mail:emorgan@ksl.com
