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West Jordan • Moments after his girlfriend was gunned down outside a Sandy house in December, Michael Grimsley said Wednesday, he came face-to-face with the shooter.
With Larry Kent Graff only 10 yards away, Grimsley heard a voice in his head that told him, "Drop."
So he fell to the ground outside of Graff's home, he said, at the same moment that Graff fired once.
"I don't know how I don't have no holes in me," Grimsley testified tearfully Wednesday during Graff's preliminary hearing. "I was pretending like I was hit, I was screaming, 'Oh my God, I'm shot.' "
Once Graff had gone back into his house, Grimsley said he was able to look at his girlfriend, 26-year-old Candice Christina Melo. She was lying in the driveway after being struck in the head by a bullet.
"I lost it," he testified. "I was trying to get to her to help her but it was too late."
Graff, 52, is charged with first-degree felony murder in Melo's death and with attempted murdering for allegedly shooting at and missing Grimsley.
After hearing evidence from several witnesses, Judge Bruce Lubeck ordered Graff to stand trial on the charges Wednesday. The defendant will be back in court April 16 for an arraignment.
The shooting happened Dec. 18 at Graff's house in the 300 East block of Gary Avenue (9400 South).
Grimsley said that just before the shooting, Melo had been arguing with another woman, Tanell Jensen, who had been living in Graff's house. They were fighting over whether Melo had paid rent for the last week and a half that she had stayed at Graff's house, Grimsley said, and Melo had made a comment about taking Graff's laptop from the home.
At some point, Jensen threatened Melo with a gun.
"I took the gun from her," Grimsley testified. "There is two females arguing. There should be no gun there. It's the right thing to do, I had my lady's back. I am going to do whatever I could to take the gun away and defuse the situation. "
But the situation continued to escalate, Grimsley said. Jensen yelled for Graff, telling him Grimsley had a gun. Grimsley testified that he gave the gun back to Jensen, telling the homeowner — who at that point had drawn his own gun — that he meant no harm.
"No matter what I said to this guy, it was like putting gasoline on a fire," said Grimsley, who testified in shackles Wednesday, as he is serving jail time for a drug possession charge.
At some point, Grimsley said, Melo bolted from the home with a laptop in hand, and that's when he heard gunshots. He said he ran outside and saw Melo on the ground and Graff pointing the firearm at him.
Sandy Police Detective Tyson Downey testified Tuesday that Graff told him that he was in fear of being robbed by Melo, Grimsley and another friend who had come to the home.
"He was saying to put everything down and get out of the house," Downey recalled. "[He said] he was aiming at Candice because she had his computer."
Jensen, who testified for the defense Wednesday, echoed that Graff was in fear of being robbed. She testified that the defendant told her before the shooting, "Something bad is going to happen. They are going to rob us."
Graff is currently being held at the Salt Lake County jail in lieu of $1.5 million bail.
Twitter: @jm_miller