A man who spent more than four years behind bars for his role in a fatal shooting outside a South Salt Lake WinCo store has been ordered released on probation after testifying against his own brother and half-brother. Damian Coleman, 32, pleaded guilty in July 2023 to manslaughter and aggravated robbery in connection with the May 9, 2022 killing of 27-year-old Romeo Charles Stevens, and his cooperation helped convict two co-defendants earlier this month.
Third District Judge Amber Mettler suspended Coleman's prison sentences — five years to life for the original aggravated murder charge and one to 15 years for manslaughter — and instead ordered him to serve five years of probation, according to KSL News. Mettler had just finished hearing days of testimony in the jury trials of two of Coleman's co-defendants the previous week and called the case a tragedy for everyone involved, the outlet reported.
As part of his 2023 plea deal, the murder charge against Coleman, originally a first-degree felony, was reduced, and a separate obstruction of justice charge was dismissed. In exchange, he agreed to testify against the other defendants before his own sentencing — a deal that finally came due after his testimony helped a jury convict his younger brother, Stafon Coleman Jr., 25, and half-brother, Terrell Jones, 34, of murder this month. Both men were acquitted of aggravated robbery.
Deal Came With Strings Attached
Deputy Salt Lake County Attorney John Ham told the court prosecutors would support an early release from probation after 30 months if Coleman is doing well, the same report states. Ham noted he technically could have pushed for an additional year of jail time under the plea arrangement, but said he believed Coleman had already served sufficient time behind bars.
Coleman's attorney, Rudy Bautista, said his client had participated in multiple programs while in jail. Addressing the court, Coleman said the situation had changed his life and affected both families, adding that he was very remorseful and prayed his future actions would honor Stevens. He said he hopes to avoid crime and instead benefit his community going forward.
On the stand, Coleman testified that he had tried to talk Jones down that night because Jones was acting aggressively, and that the group was trying to collect a debt that Stevens allegedly owed. He is the first of four people charged in the killing to be released, per the same account.
Conflicting Details on Where the Shooting Happened
The shooting that killed Stevens was reported near the parking lot of the South Salt Lake WinCo store, though accounts differ on the exact address. The station's report on the case places the location at 2193 S. Main Street, while ABC4 reported police said the shooting happened at 10:14 p.m. at 2190 South Main Street. The Salt Lake County Medical Examiner's Office, per KUTV, determined that Stevens had been shot three times before he died.
At the murder trial for Stafon Coleman Jr. and Jones, a ballistics expert testified that at least two of the three shots fired were at close range, and that two came from one gun while the third came from a different gun, according to another report from KSL News. That same reporting noted prosecutors retained the ability to request more jail time for Coleman after sentencing but had agreed not to recommend any prison time.
A Fourth Defendant's Testimony and What Comes Next
A fourth person charged in the case, McKennalyn Cummins, previously pleaded guilty to reduced manslaughter and aggravated robbery charges and was sentenced to prison. At the recent trial, Cummins testified that she had been on a date with Stevens the night he was killed — a date prosecutors claimed was a ruse used to lure him to the scene. Cummins denied having committed the crimes in her testimony and said she had learned new information since the crimes occurred.
The case is not yet closed. Stafon Coleman Jr.'s attorneys have asked for a new trial, claiming the verdict form used in his case was worded incorrectly, and both he and Jones are scheduled to be sentenced on January 4, 2027. The case had moved from a 2022 homicide investigation and the arrest of suspects in California through years of legal proceedings before reaching this month's verdicts.
