Brent Robinson said he shot Greg Carrell twice, but only after David Corona fired first and ordered him to shoot.
Corona tells a different story. He said only Robinson shot Carrell and he passed a lie detector test that he says proves he didn't fire at him.Both men were at the Glendale field on Dec. 21, 1992, when the 21-year-old Carrell was shot four times at close range. But both men are pointing fingers saying the other is the killer. Prosecutors believe both men set Carrell up to make a drug deal but instead shot him and robbed him of $4,000.
Third Circuit Judge Michael Hutchings is expected to decide next week if one or both of the men should stand trial for capital murder. The fifth and final day of the preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday, April 2.
Robinson told Salt Lake police detective Robin Howell that on the night of the shooting, he and Corona picked up Carrell at his house. Before Carrell came out to their truck, he said Corona pulled out a gun and said, "Are you up for jacking this guy?"
As the trio drove around, Robinson kept encouraging Corona to take him home, Robinson told the detective. Instead, Corona drove to a field near 1050 S. 1100 West and ordered both to get out of the truck to be searched for weapons, Howell testified.
As soon as they got out, Robinson said, Corona shot his former roommate once in the face with a 9mm handgun. He then removed a gun from Carrell's body, handed it to Robinson and ordered him to shoot, Robinson told Howell.
"I fired one shot. Corona said shoot him again and I fired again," Howell said, quoting Robinson.
Robinson indicated he was afraid of what Corona would do to him, because Corona was high on cocaine. Corona then took Carrell's fanny pack full of cash and they drove away.
During three interviews with Howell, Corona told varying stories. But despite the inconsistencies, police initially believed Corona had only witnessed the shooting and did not participate in it. Corona was the one who came to them the morning after the shooting and led them to Carrell's body.
Corona told police Carrell wanted to buy drugs and he offered to set him up with Robinson to buy a a quarter of a kilo of cocaine. Once they arrived at the field, he said, Robinson shot Carrell and ordered Corona to steal his fanny pack.
But Friday, Steve Bartlett, county attorney investigator, said Corona told him he and Robinson discussed setting Carrell up before the shooting and planned to "jack" him of his money. "If he resisted, he was going to be hit or beaten," Bartlett said.
While Corona has denied firing any weapon at Carrell, a gunshot residue test on Corona's hands was positive, indicating he had likely fired a weapon recently. Defense attorneys, however, argued that the test was administered more than 11 hours after the shooting and the test's instructions indicate the test shouldn't be administered more than four hours after a weapon was fired.