SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Aug. 22, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — A Federal jury has convicted a Duchesne County man of second-degree murder, felony possession of a firearm and ammunition, and two counts of discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence.
Brandon Redfoot, 28, was found guilty of shooting and killing another man on June 7, 2018, according to a statement issued by the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Utah.
The man killed was Julio Rodriguez, 24, of West Wendover, Nevada.
“According to testimony at trial, Redfoot was in a physical altercation with the victim outside a store in Randlett,” in Uintah County, the DOJ statement says.
“After the fight, and after the two men parted ways in separate vehicles, Redfoot told the driver of the vehicle he was in to turn around and drive back in the direction the victim had traveled. After the driver refused, Redfoot pulled out a firearm, later identified as a KelTec Sub-2000 9mm folding rifle, and threatened the driver to turn around by firing the gun inside the vehicle.
“The driver complied, and ultimately arrived outside a residence where Redfoot spotted the victim. Redfoot fired at least 29 shots in the direction of the victim and others, ultimately hitting the victim in the back of the head and killing him. Redfoot faces a maximum statutory sentence of imprisonment of up to life.”
Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 27 of this year.
U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins for the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Vernal Resident Agency and investigators from the Ute Tribe.
Assistant United States Attorneys Michael J. Thorpe and Sam Pead of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah presented the case at trial.
