A man accused in a slaying that sparked an officer-involved shooting in West Haven was released from the hospital and promptly booked into the Weber County Jail on murder charges.
Warren Fellows, 44, made his first appearance in 2nd District Court on Tuesday via video hook-up from jail. He was charged with first-degree felony counts of murder and aggravated robbery and two counts of aggravated assault, a third and second-degree felony. A weapons enhancement was added to the charges, said Weber County Attorney Mark DeCaria.
The sheriff's deputy who shot and wounded Fellows has returned to duty, having been cleared of any wrongdoing. Sgt. Jeff Pledger was cleared by the Weber County attorney in the Feb. 3 shooting of Fellows.
"The county attorney's office says his actions were entirely appropriate given the circumstances," said Weber County Sheriff's Capt. Klint Anderson. "In fact, we consider his actions to be commendable."
Police said Fellows, 44, shot and killed Art Backus, 48, last month during an argument outside Backus' West Haven home. Investigators said Fellows raised a pair of guns at responding deputies and Pledger fired, hitting Fellows twice.
Investigators have not discussed a motive for the slaying, which has also puzzled the victim's family.
"I don't know what the motive was, but he obviously had in mind to kill my son," said Art Backus, the victim's father. "He didn't offer any mercy on my son at all and I'd like to see him guilty."
Meanwhile, the Weber County Sheriff's Office is trying to figure out who will be on the hook for thousands of dollars in medical bills Fellows racked up while recovering in Ogden's McKay-Dee Hospital. It's unclear if he has insurance.
Inmates at the Weber County Jail have their medical care covered. The jail covers the costs at the standard Medicaid rate, said Jerry Cook, the chief deputy of the Weber County Sheriff's Corrections Division. Because Fellows went weeks without being an official inmate, the sheriff's office has asked the Weber County Attorney's Office to look into who will ultimately pay.
"We don't plan to have somebody in the hospital this long with these kind of problems," Cook said. "He had a staph infection they were trying to clear up."
Officials at McKay-Dee Hospital declined to say who would be billed for Fellows' care, citing medical privacy laws.
Deputy Weber County Attorney Dave Wilson said his office expects to sort out the medical bills later.
"We will examine what insurance he has, if any, and other resources that might help pay for it," he said.
Two armed deputies watched over Fellows 24 hours a day for weeks at the hospital. Deputies told the Deseret Morning News the Weber County Sheriff's Office has shelled out nearly $22,000 in officer shifts and overtime to guard Fellows.
E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com