Jury finds two men guilty of murder in 2022 shooting outside WinCo grocery store

SALT LAKE CITY — Two Roy men were found guilty of murder on Friday after a week-long jury trial, but the jurors found them not guilty of aggravated robbery after a long day of deliberation.

On May 9, 2022, Stafon Coleman Jr. and Terrell Jones killed Romeo Charles Stevens, 27, outside a South Salt Lake WinCo, jurors found. The jury determined that neither Coleman, 25, nor Jones, 34, acted in self-defense or believed they were justifiably defending themselves.

Jurors began deliberating at 9 a.m. on Friday, and their verdict was read shortly after 7 p.m.

Contradicting testimonies

Damian Coleman, an older brother of Stafon Coleman and half-brother to Jones, testified about being in the WinCo parking lot that night. He said he could tell by Jones' stance that he was acting aggressively, and he tried to stop a confrontation.

"I was trying to talk him down from whatever he was going to do," he said.

He testified in an orange jail uniform, after pleading guilty to second-degree felony manslaughter and first-degree aggravated robbery in 2023, related to the same killing. Damian Coleman testified that initially he didn't disclose that his brother had participated because he was "in fear of something happening to him."

While being questioned by Stafon Coleman's attorney, Edwin Wall, Damian Coleman said his brother was sitting on the stairs during a conversation about their plans that night, and he was not sure he heard. He said he did not remember seeing his brother with a gun that night.

Damian Coleman testified that there was a plan to try to get a debt repaid from Stevens. However, McKennalyn Cummins, who prosecutors alleged was involved in the plan, denied it in her testimony, although she said she knew Stevens owed a debt.

Cummins also pleaded guilty to manslaughter, a second-degree felony, and aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony. She was sentenced to one term of one to 15 years in prison and another term of five years to life in prison.

While testifying on Wednesday in a prison uniform, she said she did not know who shot Stevens and did not know of a plan to rob him or take his phone. She said she had "now found out different information," to explain the discrepancy in her testimony and her plea.

Cummins, who shares children with Jones, testified about going on a date with Stevens that night, and said the other three were on a "boys night out." She said they were going to take her car, but said she did not know why, thinking it might have been to pick up more "homies."

She said Stevens went to multiple restaurants on their date that were closed because it was late, so they went to WinCo to shop. She said Stevens left her in the store and that she thought he was setting up a drug deal.

Cummins admitted that she went to California with Jones after the shooting, but said she didn't know that he was outside the WinCo while she was inside and did not see what happened.

Prosecutor says evidence supports guilt

Deputy Salt Lake County attorney John Ham emphasized the many videos from that night in his closing arguments. He said they support Damian Coleman's testimony while contradicting testimony from Cummins. He said Stevens was not on his phone in the WinCo, so he would not have been arranging a drug deal. Instead, he said Stevens left the WinCo after footage shows the two looking around for something.

"He was sent out there on a pretext," Ham said, adding that Stevens didn't need to go get a gun from the car to bring it into a WinCo. "Things weren't that rough on aisle nine."

The prosecutor said Stevens left the store twice; the first time, there were people unloading groceries right in front of the car where the men were waiting. Right after Stevens returned to the store, Ham said store footage shows Cummins immediately getting on her phone. Ham claimed she was communicating with Jones.

Ham claimed the men had followed Cummins to her date's home, but because people were there, it was not a suitable place to confront him. The prosecutor said the men followed them to the WinCo — the final opportunity of the night.

The attorney cited a ballistics expert's testimony that at least two of the three shots were at close range, and two were from one gun and one from another.

Ham cited that the group had two cars traveling from Roy to Salt Lake, with Jones hiding in the car while Cummins went to meet Stevens. The other car waited just outside the complex, according to Ham. He said the two men on trial and Cummins fled the state afterward, which shows a consciousness of guilt.

The prosecutor claimed that the $1,200 found in Stevens' pocket doesn't negate that there was a robbery.

"With Stevens bleeding out on Main Street, they just didn't have the luxury of time," Ham said.

He supported the robbery charge, saying video shows Stevens had a phone with him while he was being chased, and that phone was not found, so the defendants ended up with his phone. Jones' phone was also found by Stevens.

During the chase, Ham said video shows Stafon Coleman was in the lead, contesting the claim that he didn't know about a plan. He said Stafon Coleman "still committed murder," whether he was the principal actor or not.

An unbelievable story?

Lacey Singleton, Jones' attorney, argued that Ham's story was not believable. She said her client "did not intend to rob Romeo of anything and he did not intend to cause his death," claiming there was no proof of that beyond a reasonable doubt.

She argued that they left behind the cash in his pocket, took his phone, and that it was an "absurd" amount of trouble to go through to take a phone. She asked why they would lure him to a WinCo with lots of people in a well-lit area.

Singleton contrasted the plea deals for Cummins and Damian Coleman and argued that his testimony may be altered because he is trying to get a better sentence.

"She didn't know what happened, but she gets sent to prison; she doesn't get probation," she said, arguing that Cummins had no reason to lie in her testimony.

Stafon Coleman's attorney, Edwin Wall, reiterated similar arguments that Damian Coleman was testifying to save himself and that his agreement to testify against them kept him out of prison.

Wall argued that there was no testimony about whether his client had heard the plans. He said he was on a staircase, not in the room, when the plans were discussed, and that he was not in the same vehicle as Cummins or Jones that night.

Attorneys for both Jones and Coleman chose not to call any witnesses.

What's Next

Damian Coleman pleaded guilty in July of 2023, but he will be sentenced on Oct. 29 after completing his agreement to testify at the trial and other associated hearings.

Based on his plea deal, prosecutors can request more time in jail after the sentencing, but they agreed not to recommend any prison time.

Damian Coleman was arrested shortly after the shooting, but the other three were not arrested for months. The Coleman brothers' parents and Stafon Coleman's girlfriend were charged with obstruction of justice and held in jail for 106 and 115 days, respectively, before pleading guilty to the charge reduced to a class A misdemeanor. They were each sentenced to a year in jail, but additional time was suspended and they were ordered instead to spend two years on probation.

Stafon Coleman and Jones are scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 4.

Wall also filed a motion on Monday asking for a new trial for Stafon Coleman on the murder charge based on the verdict form given to jurors. The form included the phrase, "Not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt," which Wall argued places the burden of proof on the defense. He said, like the aggravated robbery charge, the option for jurors should have instead been only "not guilty."

His motion said the form was "unquestionably incorrect" and argued that it is likely the jurors applied the form as it was written, so a new trial is necessary.

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