Fourth man pleads not guilty in fatal Compass Academy shooting
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IDAHO FALLS – A fourth man pleaded not guilty to all charges on Tuesday after he was indicted in relation to a homicide in the parking lot of Compass Academy.
Taylor Aughenbaugh, 18, pleaded not guilty to two counts of felony aggravated battery using a deadly weapon and one count of felony concealing or destroying evidence after being indicted by a grand jury on March 8.
District Judge Dane Watkins Jr. scheduled a jury trial for Aughenbaugh on Aug. 19. He is expected to appear for a pre-trial conference on July 30.
If convicted, Aughenbaugh could face up to 65 years in prison.
The three other men indicted for the same shooting, Gabriel Perkins, Aaron Murdoch, and Skylar Andra, also pleaded not guilty to their charges on Monday.
RELATED | 3 of 4 men plead not guilty in fatal Compass Academy shooting
Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal says there is a possibility that the latter three men may combine their cases for one trial, and Aughenbaugh will stand trial on his own, as they were on opposite sides of the dispute.
Background
Police say around 1 a.m. on Feb. 12, a fight between two large groups occurred in the Compass Academy parking lot.
There had reportedly been an “ongoing argument” between Perkins and Aughenbaugh, leading to the group meeting in the parking lot “to settle it.” The nature of the argument is currently unknown.
A victim, Colton Clark, was reportedly hit by Perkins and lost consciousness, falling to the ground near Perkins’ truck.
A video obtained by police reportedly shows Aughenbaugh pulling out a handgun and shooting “at least two times” hitting Murdoch in the leg and another victim, Devan Johnson in the upper back.
Court documents say Johnson appeared to be trying to step in front of Aughenbaugh as he was shooting.
The video reportedly shows Perkins hiding behind the tailgate of his truck and victim Alexander Barber hiding at the front of the same truck on the driver’s side.
Police say the video then shows Perkins stand up from behind the tailgate and shoot Barber in the head with a handgun.
Perkins then moves around to the driver’s side, where he points the handgun at Johnson, who was lying by the rear wheel of the truck. He then gets back in the truck, but turns around and shoots Johnson in the leg before driving away.
As he was driving away, police say Perkins ran over the upper half of Clark’s body, who was on the ground. Perkins reportedly did not call 911 “or make an effort to report this event.”
Police also say as Andra drove away from the scene, he ran over Barber’s body. Barber was later pronounced dead at EIRMC.
Clark was taken to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center by ambulance and admitted to the ICU with severe injuries. The other two victims — Johnson and Murdoch — were hospitalized at EIRMC for injuries.
Perkins reportedly told police in an interview that he “reached over the tailgate and shot the gun” but never mentioned that he thought Barber was armed or a threat.
Though Aughenbaugh, Perkins, Murdoch and Andra have been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean they committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.