This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A judge on Thursday ordered a Salt Lake City man to stand trial after police say he fatally shot another man while robbing an apartment of drugs and money in September.
Witnesses to Eric Padilla's death told prosecutors during a preliminary hearing they were hanging out in Jose Reyes' home at Sky Harbor Apartments when they heard a loud knock at the door.
Reyes told the court that when he opened the door, Landon Kavani Johnson, 20, entered wielding a silver revolver.
"He's pointing the gun at me and told me to give him everything I've got," Reyes testified.
Reyes said he sold marijuana to friends out of his apartment at 221 N. Sun Arbor Terrace (1850 West). Padilla, 18, and Jose Aguilar were hanging out in Reyes' roommate's room at about 9 p.m. on Sept. 17, when the shooting occurred, Reyes and Aguilar said.
Reyes said he had about four ounces of marijuana and several hundred dollars in cash in the apartment when Johnson entered.
Johnson hung his head at times as Reyes, and later Aguilar, told 3rd District Judge Keith Kelly and two benches filled with Padilla's weeping family members that they recognized Johnson, who was ahead of them at their former high school, after a dark bandana fell off his face in the apartment.
After pointing the gun back and forth between Aguilar and Reyes, Johnson noticed Padilla behind the bedroom door and quickly fired a shot, Reyes said. A bullet struck Padilla in the side of his head.
"Eric just fell over and was just laying there," Reyes said. Padilla was pronounced dead in the apartment after police arrived.
Reyes said he went into the closet and removed a bag and jar filled with marijuana and about $500 in cash, which Johnson took before quickly leaving the apartment. Investigators say they found the items in Johnson's house days later. The gun used to kill Padilla was never found.
In the courtroom on Thursday, prosecutors played a recording detectives obtained from a call Johnson made to his brother from jail after the alleged shooting. In the call, Johnson said he didn't mean to kill Padilla.
Deputy Salt Lake County District Attorney Melanie Serassio told The Tribune that while Johnson indicated he didn't intend to kill Padilla, the recording would help put him at the scene of the crime "if there was any question it was him."
Prosecutors also showed surveillance images showing that Johnson was allegedly at the apartment complex hours before Padilla's death.
Johnson is charged with first-degree felony counts of murder, aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary and second-degree felony obstructing justice. The last charge stems from witness testimony saying Johnson used the sleeve of his sweatshirt to wipe down door knobs on his way out.
Despite the eyewitness testimony and jail phone call, defense attorney John West said after the hearing, "We're not admitting that he was there." Padilla's family and a man who identified himself as Johnson's father declined to comment after the hearing.
Johnson is set for an arraignment hearing on Feb. 27.
Twitter: @TaylorWAnderson