Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Brandon Murphy, 29, was charged Friday with aggravated murder in the death of a South Salt Lake man.
- Michael and Noah Angus also face murder charges in the drug deal that turned fatal.
- Prosecutors say Murphy escalated the situation, leading to death of an innocent man who had nothing to do with the drug deal.
SOUTH SALT LAKE — Prosecutors say a drug deal gone bad resulted in the shooting death of an innocent man in South Salt Lake a week ago.
Brandon David Murphy, 29, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with aggravated murder, aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary, first-degree felonies; and obstruction of justice and being a restricted person in possession of a gun, second-degree felonies.
Michael Lynn Angus, 50, and Noah Brady Angus, 27, were also each charged with murder, a first-degree felony.
South Salt Lake police responded to a shooting at an apartment near 900 West and 4000 South on May 22.
"Upon entering the apartment, officers located a male, identified as T.M., and an orange and black 'less-lethal' handgun on the ground near the right side of his body," according to charging documents.
The gun — described as being similar to a paintball gun — was in the "safe" position when officers found it. An autopsy determined that the man was shot in the head but not with a paintball, the charges state. The man's body wasn't discovered until another resident returned to the apartment on May 22. The shooting is believed to have happened the day before.
Detectives reviewed surveillance video and observed a car arriving on the morning of May 21 with three men and a woman. The three men got out of the car and two of them "appear to be putting on black gloves," according to the charges. Additional investigation revealed that the vehicle had left Uintah County on May 20 and returned the afternoon of May 21.
With the help of Vernal police, investigators tracked down Murphy. They also "obtained data from Murphy and Noah (Angus') ankle monitors that put them at the crime scene," the charges allege.
Detectives learned that Michael Angus allegedly wanted to buy meth and had another person go to the apartment to buy the drugs. The drugs were sold by another man who had been staying there on and off, charging documents state.
But after the drug deal was made, Murphy texted a woman stating that he believed they had been ripped off.
"In this case, a drug deal was arranged for Michael (Angus) and when the drugs ended up not being good, they reached out to the person who had made the arrangements," the charges say.
The men wanted to know where the drugs were purchased, and police say they then went to the apartment to confront the seller.
"The defendants found out where the individual who sold them the drugs lived and went to the apartment. The defendants knocked on the door and the victim answered. During their interaction, the victim was shot in the eye and succumbed to his injuries," according to charging documents. "Murphy escalated the situation by taking a gun and pulling it on the victim, who had nothing to do with the drug deal."
Murphy allegedly told police after being taken into custody: "Somebody did something faulty and I was trying to fix that fault in a way that shouldn't have been handled and somebody got hurt in the process. ... I just know that money got sent and something didn't get returned."
Detectives told Murphy "that they knew about the drug deal and Murphy said that people were upset about that and they wanted to try and make it right. ... Murphy stated that he was trying to protect himself because there was a gun present."
Charging documents further note that "Noah (Angus) helped facilitate the drug deal and an innocent man lost his life" and "Michael (Angus) supplied the gun used in the incident."
