Murder charges filed against St. George man accused of shooting his landlord

A St. George man accused of killing his landlord and firing as many as a dozen gunshots into the victim's home after a domestic dispute has been charged with murder.

Joel Curtis Flores, 42, was booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility without bail and charged Thursday with felony counts of murder, aggravated assault, discharging a firearm and illegal possession of a dangerous weapon, among other charges.

The victim, a man named Richard Harper, was killed on Wednesday after he reportedly tried to intervene in a dispute Flores was having with a female friend, according to arresting documents filed in Fifth District Court.

Police responded to the incident at the 700 North block of 1100 East, where both men lived, after Harper called and reported that Flores had pointed a gun at the female friend. Flores lived on the same property in a separate trailer. Police arrived and arrested him, then found Harper inside his home.

After the initial altercation, Harper had gone into the home to call the police, according to the report. A woman and girl who were also at the property at the time hid at the back of the home.

In police interviews later, both said they had heard 12 gunshots from the home, according to the report. One told police that Flores had been intoxicated. Investigators found a .22 caliber rifle and determined that Flores had fired through a glass door, striking and killing Harper.

Court records show Flores had been charged with various crimes in recent years, including assault, theft and violating protective orders. He had three active outstanding warrants at the time of his arrest, two for criminal mischief and one for illegal operation of a motor vehicle.

This article originally appeared on St. George Spectrum & Daily News: Murder charges filed over shooting of St. George landlord Richard Harper