If there had to be a reason Manuel Archuleta was fatally shot five times in the back of the head, it may have had something to do with the theft of a car stereo.
But the two witnesses to the point-blank shooting aren't quite sure there was a motive, and their conversations afterward focused on erasing evidence, not about why a mutual gang-member friend now charged with homicide would have started shooting the front-seat passenger from the back seat as the group drove on Salt Lake County's far west side.
Bob Jeffrey Veloz, 19, is charged with first-degree criminal homicide in the May 12 shooting inside a car driven by Marco Antonio Amaro, 24. In addition, court charges accuse Veloz and Amaro of obstructing justice by destroying evidence and lying to detectives about what happened to Archuleta. A juvenile who is the other witness to the shooting is also in custody, accused of having a part in the evidence cover-up.
The juvenile said from the witness stand last week that Amaro told him the shooting may have been prompted by the theft of the stereo in Amaro's car. Amaro later testified he didn't know why Veloz started shooting. He said Veloz gave no warning before opening fire and didn't talk about a motive afterward. Archuleta was in a different gang, but Wednesday's witnesses said they did not consider him a rival.
"I was driving. I turned around and I saw him shooting," Amaro said, implicating Veloz.
Amaro said he stopped the car after the shooting ended, and that Veloz and the juvenile dragged Archuleta's body out of the vehicle. Police found the body outside a business in West Valley City.
Amaro said the trio drove back to Veloz's house, where Amaro and the juvenile tried cleaning blood from the car. After that, items that had been in the car were put in a plastic bag and burned, and Amaro said he put gasoline inside the car the next day and torched it.
Amaro said the group agreed what they would tell police about Archuleta but then did not discuss the shooting after that except in one phone call, during which Amaro said he asked Veloz where the gun went. "It's gone. Don't worry about it," Amaro said Veloz replied.
Amaro said he lied to detectives because he did not want to be known as a snitch. He said he changed his mind and decided Tuesday to testify against Veloz because he heard Veloz was trying to blame the shooting on him. "He tried to blame it on me and I didn't do nothing. I wasn't going to go down for something I didn't do." Amaro said he also felt remorse for what happened. "I made a mistake."
Veloz is scheduled to be arraigned on the homicide and obstruction charges Sept. 24 before 3rd District Judge Sheila McCleve. Amaro's arraignment on felony obstructing justice charges is scheduled Oct. 4, also before McCleve.
E-mail: sfidel@desnews.com