This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
In July, Vilisoni Angilau pleaded guilty to killing a teenager in a gang-related attack in Salt Lake City last year.
Last week, he asked a 3rd District judge if he could take it all back.
"I felt lost and gave up a lot on life after my brother was killed in the federal courthouse," Angilau wrote in a letter to Judge Katie Bernards-Goodman. "I felt as if I was being rushed and pressured into taking this plea bargain."
Angilau, who is the younger brother Siale Angilau, the man who was shot dead by a U.S. marshal as he lunged at a witness in federal court earlier this year, said he was under emotional distress and not in the right state of mind to enter a plea.
He was scheduled to be sentenced Monday afternoon, but in light of his request to the judge, prosecutors said, he would likely need new attorneys to represent him at an evidentiary hearing, at which the court would determine whether he was, in fact, pressured and out of his right state of mind when he pleaded.
His attorney Steven G. Shapiro, who allegedly advised Angilau to take the plea deal, may have to testify at the hearing, prosecutors said.
"I do not feel comfortable with taking the [plea] deal without knowing if the feds are going to try to indict me with more charges," Angilau wrote. "I was not in the right state of mind and was worried about being falsely convicted of more higher charges."
Angilau, 21, could face up to 30 years in prison if sentenced on the reduced second-degree felony charges of manslaughter and discharge of a firearm causing bodily injury to which he pleaded guilty.
He was originally charged with first-degree felony murder and second-degree felony obstructing justice.
Angilau's arrest came after a three-month investigation into the April 13, 2013, shooting death of 19-year-old Sione Fakatoufifita in the parking lot of a Maverik convenience store at 1680 S. Redwood Road.
During the investigation, the Utah Department of Public Safety dive team recovered a handgun that police believed was the murder weapon from the Jordan River surplus canal, according to a probable-cause statement.
Police also took statements from witnesses who reported picking up Angilau near the Maverik store and helping him flee. Another witness said Angilau had discussed his involvement in the shooting, according to the probable-cause statement.
Angilau, who has been in custody since his arrest, pleaded guilty July 18.
He will next appear in court Sept. 19.
On April 21, three months before Angilau pleaded guilty, his older brother, 25-year-old Siale Angilau, a Tongan Crip Gang member who was standing trial in a racketeering case, was shot to death by a marshal as Angilau rushed a witness on the stand in a courtroom of the Salt Lake City federal courthouse.
The elder Angilau was shot four times and died later that day at a hospital.
The courthouse shooting had a tangible effect on family, friends and members of the Tongan community, who have called for investigations into excessive force and rallied in the wake of Angilau's death.
Twitter: @Marissa_Jae