ST. GEORGE — A St. George man was sentenced to at least 20 years in prison on Tuesday after being found guilty of murdering his landlord, Richard Harper.
Joel Curtis Flores, 43, was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for murder and five years to life for felony discharge of a firearm, both first-degree felonies, in addition to zero to five years for use of a firearm as a restricted person, a third-degree felony. He was also sentenced to 90 days in jail for intoxication, a class C misdemeanor, but chose to serve that sentence at the prison.
Fifth District Judge Eric Ludlow ruled that the sentences would run consecutively to each other.
According to charging documents, on Nov. 30, 2022, a woman who often visited Flores reported he pointed a gun to her chest after she said she wanted to see him less.
Flores’ landlord noticed the struggle and called for Flores to let her go before she took refuge in Harper’s home.
The woman and Harper’s 17-year-old daughter were in the back of the home on the phone with emergency services and St. George police were on their way, when the woman reported hearing 12 gunshots.
Flores fired the gun through a glass door, hitting and killing Harper, charging documents said.
He filed an appeal of his sentence on Friday and was assigned a separate attorney to oversee the appeal.
Flores was found guilty by a jury on July 17. The jury ruled he was not guilty of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony.
