Idaho Falls man accused of murder testifies, ‘I was scared out of my mind’
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UPDATE: Idaho Falls jury finds Jake Eilander not guilty of murder
IDAHO FALLS – Jake Eilander, accused of second-degree murder, testified during his jury trial on Tuesday.
Eilander is accused of killing 44-year-old Ulises Rangel behind Planet Fitness in Idaho Falls. The investigation into Eilander started after Rangel was found shot to death by a passerby in March 2022. Police later obtained video footage that showed an argument between Rangel and Eilander. Eilander was later found at an Idaho Falls home, where officers found a loaded handgun with ammunition consistent with the evidence at the scene.
During the seventh day of trial, Eilander described his perspective of the shooting incident, saying he was with his girlfriend, Brandy Carlson, at the parking lot behind Planet Fitness, where he parked his truck.
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“We were just getting ready to leave to go to Rigby, so I was out there cleaning out the cab of my truck,” said Eilander. “We had a tree job and were looking at a house to rent.”
Eilander says Carlson was watching their cats, which he said were like children to them, play in the drainage area of the parking lot as he cleaned out his truck.
Defense attorney Alexander Sosa asked Eilander about his possession of firearms, to which he said he typically carries a gun in his holster daily.
Eilander said he put his gun in the front of his pants that day because he did not have a belt to secure the holster to.
He told the jury that a man, later identified as Rangel, approached them, coming down the fence line.
“He was kind of a shady-looking guy. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, with the hood pulled low over his face. Scruffy facial hair, looking down at the ground,” said Eilander. “He had some sort of item in his hands. It was black. I couldn’t tell what it was, maybe about a foot (long).”
Eilander says the man was heading toward one of his cats playing in the drainage area.
“He was heading up the fence line, which was directly toward where the cat was laying,” said Eilander. “I was starting to get concerned that he might step on the cat if he didn’t see it. I just kind of stood there watching the situation. As he got closer, he started looking at us.”
It was at this point, according to Eilander, that the confrontation started. Rangel reportedly began giving Eilander and Carlson dirty looks and approached them.
“He was giving us dirty looks pretty much right off the bat. And he didn’t look like a very nice guy. Something kind of seemed off with this guy,” Eilander said. “I just said, ‘What’s up, man?’ Then he said, ‘What’s up, motherf*****?'”
Eilander described Rangel’s demeanor as aggressive, saying he was raising his voice. He says the man continued to approach, stopped at Eilander’s trailer, set down an item, and continued to get closer.
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“He clenched his fists at that point. He kept approaching, and he said, ‘Come on motherf*****, I’m gonna f*** you up,’ said Eilander. “It was a fast walk. Not a jog, but a fast walk.”
Sosa asked Eilander where Carlson was during all of this. Eilander says he had pushed her behind him in an attempt to protect her.
“I just kind of motioned her to go behind me. Because this man was approaching, and I didn’t know what was going to happen,” said Eilander. “He said, ‘Come on motherf*****, I’m gonna f*** you up, and Brandy said, ‘Leave us alone. We don’t want any trouble.'”
At this point, Eilander says he pulled out his gun and pointed it at the man, reiterating several times to leave them alone or he would shoot.
“I pulled my pistol, pointed it at him, and told him to stop. He said, ‘F*** you, b****,’ and then he turned around,” said Eilander. “He turned around and started to walk back toward the trailer, so I lowered my gun and pointed it toward the ground. He starts walking toward the trailer and starts taking his hoodie sweatshirt off.”
Eilander told the court he felt relieved when Rangel turned around and stopped approaching until he began taking off his hoodie and once again started to approach.
Wondering if his gun was even loaded, Eilander says he quickly pulled the slide back, and a live round hit the ground. He says Rangel saw him do this and still did not stop approaching.
“He kept coming, and he said, ‘I’m not scared of a gun, what the f*** are you gonna do with that?'” said Eilander. “I raised my gun, pointed it at him, and I told him, ‘If you don’t stop, I’m going to shoot you with it.’ I told him several times to stop, back the f*** up.”
Sosa asked Eilander if he contemplated any other option rather than shooting Rangel in the chest. Eilander said he considered shooting him in the leg but was worried he would miss.
“I thought about trying to shoot him in the leg, but he was moving around, jumping around everywhere, and it all happened so quick, and my hands were shaking,” said Eilander. “I didn’t think I’d be able to hit him in the leg. By that time, he’d be on me, and we would be wrestling for the gun.”
Eilander says Rangel was quickly approaching as he tried to back up from him. Afraid he would take his gun, Eilander continued to warn Rangel.
“He was coming forward faster than I could back up. I told him, I don’t know how many times to stop or back up or he would be shot,” said Eilander. “When he closed the distance to the point we were almost out of distance, I had no other choice. I fired one round.”
After he shot, he says he thought he missed.
“I thought I missed. Because he didn’t act hurt at all,” said Eilander. “He just kind of stood there for a minute and called me a fucking p****. Then he stopped and turned around, so I lowered my gun, but then he walked past Brandy, and he said, ‘F*** you too, b****.'”
Sosa asks Eilander why he didn’t shoot again if he thought he missed the first time.
“He stopped coming at me, and that’s all I was after,” said Eilander. “He said, ‘F*** you too, b****,’ as he was gathering up his stuff to leave.”
As he was leaving, Eilander says he noticed blood on the man that was not there before.
“Before he turned to walk away from me, I saw some blood on him,” said Eilander. “I headed down the north side of the truck and trailer, and he was just grabbing his stuff and heading over toward the fence. The situation was over.”
Eilander says he did not see Rangel collapse.
“In movies, you see people shot and then drop dead,” said Eiladner. “This guy was shot and then walked off like nothing happened, still spewing insults. He went about his way.”
After the shooting, Eilander says he left to walk to the home of a friend, Kim Laker. Sosa inquired about why he didn’t take his truck or even the bicycle on his truck trailer.
“I don’t know. I was just in a panic, you know, I was just scared out of my mind. I don’t know. I couldn’t tell ya,” said Eilander. “I was in a state of confusion and panic. I didn’t really know what to do.”
When asked how he lost his hat that was later found in the canal and why he took off his shirt, Eilander responded similarly.
“I don’t know, I couldn’t tell you,” said Eilander. “It looks like I was kind of all over the place.”
Eilander says that during his walk to Laker’s home, he found a grocery bag on the ground and put his gun in it.
“I was just trying to carry it more comfortably because I was walking,” said Eilander.
From that point on, Eilander says Laker led him to her garage, where he stayed until police showed up and he was arrested.
Summing up the events, Sosa asked Eilander, “What happened?”
“We were in the parking lot, we were attacked by a stranger, I had to defend myself and Brandy, and that was it,” said Eilander.
Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal then cross-examined Eilander, asking him if he caused Rangel’s death.
Eiladner responded, “Yeah.”
Neal then asked if the killing responded from an intentional act or accidental. Eiladner responded, “It was intentional.”
“Did you pull the trigger deliberately with the knowledge of the danger but a disregard for it?” asked Neal.
“I wouldn’t say a disregard for it,” said Eilander. “At the time, I didn’t have a choice.”
“And that was self-defense?” asked Neal.
“Yes, sir,” responded Eilander.
Afterward, the jury was shown security video of the shooting taken from a nearby building. The video shows Rangel walking along the fenceline, coming toward Eilander and Carlson.
The video is low quality and without audio, but Rangel is seen coming seemingly within inches of Eilander.
According to Eilander, it was when the two eventually moved off-camera that he shot the gun.
“It was real-life speed, and it was fast,” said Eilander.
After the testimony, the defense then rested, and the prosecution followed suit. Closing arguments in the trial are scheduled for Wednesday at 9 a.m.