ST. GEORGE, Utah, Dec. 1, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — A St. George man has been booked into jail on charges including murder, after he allegedly shot his landlord through a glass door.
Suspect Joel Curtis Flores, 42, has been charged on suspicion of:
- Murder, a first-degree felony
- Possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a second-degree felony
- Felony discharge of a firearm, a third-degree felony
- Aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury, a third-degree felony
- Criminal mischief — intentional damage, deface, destroy property, a class A misdemeanor
- Intoxication, a class C misdemeanor
On Wednesday, St. George Police officers were called to the area of 700 North and 1100 East on a report of a fight, Flores’ probable cause statement says. The caller was Flores’ landlord, who would become the murder victim. Flores lives in a trailer on land where the victim’s residence is located.
Gephardt Daily is withholding the name of the victim until his survivors can be notified.
“It was initially reported by (the victim) who is now deceased that Joel had pointed a gun at a female and ‘cocked it,'” says the probable cause statement filed in Flores’ arrest. “Shortly after, it was reported that shots had been fired from the outside of where the decedent resided. Responding officers arrived on scene and took Joel into custody. Officers located a male who was found to be deceased and was later identified to be (the landlord).
Police questioned two females who were on the scene, the 17-year-old daughter of the landlord, and a 57-year-old woman said to be a friend of Flores.
The older woman told St. George Police officers Flores had invited her over, and she usually takes him to buy alcohol because he cannot drive. The woman told officers Flores was behaving differently than normal when she arrived, and he was intoxicated, “but it is normal for him to be intoxicated.”
The woman said she went over to tell Flores “she wasn’t going to be able to see him as often after seeing him with another person the day prior.”
Upon hearing that, “Joel grabbed a rifle, ‘cocked it’ and pointed at her chest,” probable cause documents say. “After Joel pointed the gun at her chest (the woman) said she grabbed the barrel of the gun and pulled it to the side so it wasn’t pointed at her.”
The woman said she and Flores got into a struggle, with him holding her leg against his chest. The landlord “could hear them fighting and was yelling for Joel to stop and let her go. (The woman) was able to get away and went into the home where the decedent secured the home and called police.”
The woman went to the back of the home, with the landlord’s 17-year-old daughter, and remained on the phone with dispatch.
“During this time (the woman) reported what she believed to be 12 gunshots from the outside of the home.” The teenager gave a similar report.
“Based on the information gathered it was determined that Joel approached the home of the deceased and fired rounds through the glass door causing it to break and the estimated door damage is estimated to be around $1,000. During this time Joel had what was believed to be a .22 caliber rifle and was using this to shoot through the door which eventually struck (the victim) causing him to die.”
Officers found Flores had a previous domestic violence conviction from August of 2021, and three active warrants for his arrest, all issued on Nov. 16 of this year. They are for:
- Criminal mischief, domestic violence in the presence of a child, intoxication and use or possession of drug paraphernalia
- Criminal mischief
- Driving on a suspended/revoked/denied license with prior conviction and for no proof of insurance.
The judge ordered Flores be held without bail in Washington County’s Purgatory Correctional Facility.
