Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — One of six people named as a suspect last week by Salt Lake police in the 2019 shooting death of Kathryn Blaire Leavitt was arrested Wednesday evening after charges were filed against her and a warrant was issued for her arrest.
Lachelle Fiefia, 36, of West Jordan, is charged in 3rd District Court with obstructing justice, a second-degree felony.
On July 27, 2019, police received a call of a door being kicked in at an apartment at 1211 N. Redwood Road and a possible burglary in progress. But while officers were en route, they were told that shots had been fired. They arrived to discover that Leavitt, 27, had been shot as another woman hid in a closet in another room. Leavitt died from her injuries at a local hospital. An autopsy determined that Leavitt had been shot twice.
Leavitt had invited several people to the apartment that day "to drink and hang out." Four to five men showed up, according to a series of search warrant affidavits filed in 2019.
At some point during the morning, the group had become too loud and a woman who was trying to sleep in another room asked them to quiet down, according to the affidavits. The roommate later told police that "a short time later she heard someone kicking the door in and then she heard gunshots."
Several people have been on the radar of Salt Lake police homicide detectives since the killing, but until Wednesday no one had been arrested or charged.
On Feb. 15, Leavitt's mother, Marie Leavitt, made an emotional plea to the public for someone to come forward with information that could help tie the case together for police.
"I know that there are people out there who know things about this case. I am going to plead with you and ask you to put yourself in my shoes, in my family's shoes. She was my only daughter," Marie Leavitt said. "I implore you to do the right thing if you know anything about this case. I ask of you, please, do the right thing."
On that same day, police for the first time named six suspects believed to either be directly involved in killing Blaire Leavitt or in obstructing the investigation into her death: Fiefia; Katoa Pahulu, 26; Sunia Cavazos, 22; Tevita Kofutua, 37; Mapilivai Laulea 26; and Timote Fonua, 41.
Police questioned Fiefia on the day Leavitt was killed. Fiefia told detectives at that time that she was at Leavitt's apartment that morning along with four or five other men, but that they all left by the time the shooting happened, according to charging documents filed Wednesday.
On Feb. 27, 2020, police again questioned Fiefia, this time confronting her with allegations that she drove Laulea and Pahulu to California on July 28, the charges state. Fiefia allegedly told detectives at that time that when she found out Leavitt had been shot, she called Laulea and asked what happened.
"Laulea was very calm and told her he didn't know what she was talking about and that he would have to call her back," according to the charges. "Fiefia said Laulea later called her back and explained he had a lot to lose if he was caught up in the homicide and asked her to drive him and Pahulu to California, which she agreed to do."
Fiefia was interviewed by police again on Nov. 18, 2020, and they say she admitted to driving the two men to the Oakland area. She said that as they were driving, both men made statements such as, "I can't believe he did that" while also commenting on the way Leavitt "dropped" when she was shot, the charging documents say.
Before driving back to Salt Lake City, Fiefia stated that she was told by Laulea that Fonua had shot Leavitt in retaliation for another murder, according to the charges. The court documents do not indicate when or where that alleged killing took place, only stating it may have been gang-related. Salt Lake police have not said whether they believe Leavitt's killing was in retaliation for another incident.
Prosecutors have requested that Fiefia be held without bail in the Salt Lake County Jail pending trial.
