SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s Court of Appeals has upheld the conviction of a man who shot and killed his roommate after a fight in 2021.
Keith Nelson Broadwater, 50, claimed he shot his roommate in self-defense, but a jury convicted him of murder in May 2022, ruling it was not self-defense.
He was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for murder and five years to life in prison for unlawful discharge of a firearm, both first-degree felonies. Eighth District Judge Samuel Chiara ordered the sentences to run concurrently.
The appellate court ruled on Dec. 19 to deny his appeal, ending Broadwater’s claims that the judge should not have granted an objection restricting his attorney’s arguments, that evidence in his case did not rule out self-defense and that his attorney should have objected to parts of prosecutor’s opening arguments.
Broadwater lived with his roommate, Micah Stephen Cambridge, 41, of Myton, Duchesne County, for over 10 years, and they moved together to different places throughout Utah, the ruling said. Cambridge was shot and killed on March 18, 2021.
Both Broadwater and Cambridge’s girlfriend, who was living with them at the time, testified about that night during his jury trial.
Broadwater claims he heard yelling that night between Cambridge and his girlfriend. He first flipped the hall light switch and later knocked on their door to ask them to be quiet.
During her testimony, the girlfriend said the knock “wasn’t a regular knock,” and she believes he knocked on the door with a gun. Cambridge opened the door, stepped into the hallway to speak with Broadwater, and was shot a minute or two later.
The girlfriend testified that Cambridge never did anything to attack Broadwater, but Broadwater said his roommate had his fists clenched and walked toward him menacingly, the opinion said.
Broadwater testified that he was nervous about defending himself against his roommate, who weighed significantly more than him. He claimed Cambridge had threatened him and that he thought his roommate was planning to get a gun, either from the storage room or Broadwater’s hand.
He has already served over two years of his prison sentence.
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