3 of 4 men plead not guilty in fatal Compass Academy shooting
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IDAHO FALLS — Three men accused in the Compass Academy parking lot homicide appeared in court Monday, pleading not guilty to all charges in separate indictments.
Gabriel Aaron Perkins, 19, pleaded not guilty to the second-degree murder of 25-year-old Alexander Barber with a deadly weapon enhancement, felony aggravated battery with a deadly weapon enhancement, felony leaving the scene of an injury accident and felony concealing evidence.
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Skylar Daniel Andra, 19, pleaded not guilty to felony leaving the scene of an injury accident.
Aaron David Murdoch, 20, pleaded not guilty to felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon enhancement.
All three are scheduled for separate jury trials on Aug. 12, though this date could be rescheduled as the court process continues. They are all expected to appear in court on July 16 for pre-trial conferences.
A fourth man, Taylor Aughenbaugh, 18, is expected to appear for his district court arraignment Tuesday morning. He was indicted for two counts of felony aggravated battery using a deadly weapon and one count of felony concealing or destroying evidence.
Perkins’ defense
Perkins’ hearing was substantially longer than the other two. After entering his plea, Perkins’ attorney, Jordan Crane, argued for his client’s release or his bail to be reduced from $300,000 to $100,000.
“That $300,000 bail order was set without knowing much about Gabe Perkins,” said Crane. “So we really just have the charge and some allegations that give rise to a $300,000 setting.”
Crane claims Perkins is not violent, and told the story of the events of Feb. 12 from Perkins’ perspective.
“He’s laid back, he’s not violent, he has no prior violent offenses, a relatively minimal record,” said Crane. “From our perspective, your honor, we should be dealing with a manslaughter charge, based on our review, at worst.”
According to Crane, Perkins and his friends were in the Compass Academy parking lot on Feb. 12 to meet with another group for a “fistfight.”
“Words are exchanged, things get heated, there’s arguing, and Mr. Perkins engages in a fistfight,” said Crane. “It’s at that point that another individual, Taylor Aughenbaugh, pulls out his pistol in what I consider an attempt to kill Mr. Perkins.”
Crane says Aughenbaugh lunged forward into the crowd and started shooting at the people in the parking lot.
“If it weren’t for an individual named Devan Johnson getting in the way of that bullet, taking the bullet in the back, Mr. Perkins would likely not be here,” said Crane.
Crane says Murdoch was armed at the fight, and Perkins was able to take the gun from him, leading to events that transpired to create the murder allegation.
Prosecutor disagrees
Bonneville County Prosecuting Attorney Randy Neal disagreed with Perkins’ defense. He says Perkins murdered Barber and shot another person before running over an injured person with his vehicle that he had previously knocked unconscious.
According to Neal, Perkins did not initially have a handgun on him, but the video “clearly shows him handling a (shotgun) prior to the start of the altercation.”
Perkins reportedly had a shotgun in his vehicle nearby, retrieved it, but did not use it.
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Neal says Murdoch was armed from the beginning, and shot his pistol approximately 11 times toward the people who were running away from the fight.
Perkins then reportedly took the gun from Murdoch and aimed at Barber, who was reportedly unarmed and standing above his injured friends, before shooting him in the head.
“He then used that gun to threaten (Johnson), who had been shot in the back,” said Neal. “(Johnson) was lying on the ground, suffering from a bullet wound. (Perkins) leaned down and took another shot.”
Neal says Perkins then drove away, driving over another victim, Colton Clark, whom he previously knocked out during the fistfight.
“These are some of the most significant and severe actions that we’ve seen in a long time,” said Neal. “Mr. Barber died from his injuries, and Mr. Clark was very lucky that with the injuries he sustained from being driven over with the truck, that he survived.”
Neal says Perkins then threw the gun away in a trash can, and a group of his friends later retrieved it.
Todd Barber, Alexander Barber’s father also spoke to the court, expressing why he feels Perkins should not be released, calling him a “threat to the community.”
“My son was Alex Barber. He is deceased now,” said Barber. “Due to the conditions of the charges on Feb. 12, I believe Gabriel has no respect for firearms and definitely no respect for human life.”
Watkins then denied the request to reduce Perkins’ bail.
If convicted, Perkins could face life in prison, Aughenbaugh could face up to 65 years in prison, Murdoch could face up to 20 years in prison, and Andra could face up to five years in prison.
Though all four men have been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean they committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.