SALT LAKE CITY — A state appeals court has upheld the conviction of a man connected to the murder of a Millard County Sheriff’s deputy.
In a ruling handed down Thursday, the Utah Court of Appeals rejected claims by Ruben Chavez-Reyes. He was convicted of obstruction of justice and burglary stemming from the 2010 slaying of Deputy Josie Greathouse Fox on a road outside Delta.
In his appeal Chavez-Reyes challenged his appeal citing a photograph of Deputy Fox’s body that was shown in court. He argued it was irrelevant to his case of obstruction of justice and it was gruesome for a jury to see. The appeals court disagreed.
“Indeed, the photograph was taken from such an angle and distance that Deputy Fox’s wounds are not visible. Viewers of crime dramas on television see far more graphic images on a regular basis,” the court wrote.
The man accused of shooting Deputy Fox, Roberto Roman, was acquitted of aggravated murder by a Utah County jury. He is currently facing federal charges related to the slaying.
