Over four years after a jury acquitted the man of murdering a Millard County sheriff's deputy, a federal jury found Robery Miramontes Roman guilty. Roman, 44, had originally been acquitted in the 2010 shooting death of Josie Greathouse Fox, where he was accused of shooting and killing the deputy following a vehicle stop. He was found to be guilty of intentionally killing a law enforcement officer and several other charges in a decision handed down Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Court.
Despite a video showing Roman admitting to shooting the deputy in the hours following his arrest, during both of his trials Roman claimed that Ryan Greathouse, the brother of the slain deputy, was the actual shooter. Roman claimed he had sold drugs to Greathouse shortly before the shooting, and the two were in the car together at the time it took place. He claimed that Greathouse had threatened to harm Roman's family if the man did not take the blame for the shooting. Greathouse died of an accidental overdose roughly four months after Fox's death.
John Huber, U.S. attorney for Utah, says Roman's story blaming Greathouse as "diabolical." He went one to describe Roman as a brazen, career criminal who sold drugs in rural communities and kept himself armed at all times as he vowed never to be taken by police. The jury deliberated only four hours on Monday, before handing down a verdict Tuesday afternoon.
Despite the conviction, attorneys for the defense plan to appeal the verdict on the grounds of double jeopardy.
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