- A jury acquitted Justin Doman of murder following a road rage shooting that killed 63-year-old James Saccato.
- Doman's attorney argued self-defense and defense of vehicle, citing a new defense of vehicle law passed in 2024.
- Doman was found guilty of drug and firearm-related charges. He was released from jail Friday after over one and a half years.
FARMINGTON — A jury found a West Point man not guilty of murder on Friday after his attorney argued he was defending both himself and his vehicle during a road rage incident.
Because he was acquitted of the murder charge, the judge immediately issued an order releasing Justin Kent Doman, 36, from jail after he was incarcerated for over a year and a half.
In 2024, the Utah Legislature passed a law that included vehicles and workplaces as places that can be protected with deadly force. Rudy Bautista, Doman's attorney, said the law makes it so if someone reaches into your vehicle and you act in self-defense, "it is presumed that you are acting reasonably."
He said this is the first time he is aware of that defense of your vehicle law being used in Utah's courts.
Charging documents said James Edward Saccato, 63, of West Point, "brake checked" Doman at least three times on state Route 193 in Clearfied on June 3, 2024. The document said Doman honked his horn and "flip(ed) off" Saccato.
As they approached an intersection, Saccato slammed on his breaks again, and Doman rear-ended him. Doman called 911 before he hit Sacatto again in the side of his truck after Sacatto did a U-turn, charges said. They said Sacatto left his vehicle after stopping on a residential street and approached Doman in his car when a gunshot was fired and Sacatto fell to the ground.
Bautista said he argued that Doman was following Saccato because of the directions from 911 operators. He said Doman called 911 and was continually being asked questions about the location of Sacato's vehicle so he continued following it.
"Mr. Doman kept telling the operator that the guy was going 70 mph and driving recklessly; at no time did 911 ever say stop," he said.
The attorney said it was not a high-speed chase, and videos show Doman was at least five seconds behind Saccato.
Bautista said when Saccato got out of his vehicle "in a tumultuous manner," he reached under his shirt to make it look like he was getting a gun and pointed his hands "as if he were shooting Mr. Doman." He said Doman pulled out his weapon to be ready, and when he realized Saccato was not holding a gun but was still coming toward him, Doman brandished his gun as a warning.
He said Saccato reached into the driver's side window to take Doman's gun from him.
"He articulated that his belief was that if Mr. Saccato had taken the weapon that Mr. Saccato would have used it," Bautista said.
He said he told the jury there would have been a murder trial either way, and evidence from the bullet trajectory shows Saccato was reaching forward when he was shot.
"Justin is relieved that the jury agreed that he was acting in self-defense and in defense of his vehicle; however, this is all tragic, and the last thing he wanted to do was to ever take a life," Bautista said. "In hindsight, now that he knows what has happened, he realizes he probably should have just stopped once he got the license plate, but he was following ...what he thought was directions."
Charging documents claimed Doman was the aggressor. Clearfield Police Chief Kelly Bennett said at a press conference shortly after the incident that he was confident the case was not a self-defense case.
He encouraged people not to become engaged in a road rage confrontation, saying people can lose the ability to control their emotions. He said if someone is involved in a road rage incident, they should get a plate number, call 911 and not pursue the other person.
Although Doman was acquitted on the murder charge, the jury did find him guilty of driving with a measurable controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance, both class B misdemeanors, after a drug test showed he had measurable amounts of THC in his system.
In a hearing on Tuesday following the trial, 2nd District Judge Jennifer Valencia found him guilty of two counts of possession of a firearm as a restricted person, a third-degree felony. Bautista said he had asked for those charges to be determined by the judge outside of the trial to not add confusion to the jury about his right to defend himself even if he cannot legally possess a gun.
Doman will be sentenced for these four charges on March 24.
