Salt Lake City police have arrested a second suspect in the January shooting death of a man during an alleged drug-buy ripoff in Sugar House.
Salt Lake City police Detective Dennis McGowan confirmed that Eric Eugene Burwell, 36, was recently arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on first-degree felony counts of homicide and aggravated robbery, and a second-degree felony obstruction of justice charge. Bail was set at more than $1 million, jail records show.
However, McGowan referred questions about the latest arrest in the slaying of 24-year-old Christian Lance McDonald to Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, who confirmed that SLCPD officers had arrested Burwell during a traffic stop late Wednesday night.
"He's been taken into custody, but we may not have much more to say" due to the ongoing nature of the prosecution of Burwell and alleged triggerman Jeremiah Ray Hart, Gill added.
Hart, a 42-year-old ex-con with an extensive drug-related criminal history, was arrested on Feb. 19 during a traffic stop. He was charged with first-degree felony aggravated murder, and second-degree felony counts of possession of a weapon by a restricted person and obstruction of justice.
Hart, also known as "Bullet," was returned to Utah State Prison for parole violation. He remained there Friday, awaiting further proceedings in the murder case.
Burwell, known on the streets as "Little Devil" and "Diablo," has a criminal record stretching back to 1997, which includes domestic-violence-related assault, as well as felony convictions for drug distribution, theft and attempted possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person.
On Jan. 24, McDonald was found lying in the street near 1224 E. Parkway Ave. (2400 South), with a gunshot wound in the chest. He was rushed to the hospital, but later pronounced dead.
Hart also had gone to the hospital for treatment of a gunshot wound, but after initial contact with police, was released. It was almost four weeks later before his arrest. Initially, Hart was charged with drug and firearms violations. On April 30, prosecutors added the murder count.
Investigators suspect that Hart robbed McDonald, and they allegedly shot each other during the altercation.
Burwell's role, according to just-unsealed 3rd District Court documents, was initially that of a drug buyer to McDonald and his brother, Richard McDonald. Burwell allegedly picked up the brothers in his car at a mall parking lot. He then picked up Hart, who sat next to Richard McDonald in the back seat; Christian McDonald was in the front seat.
When Burwell pulled over a short time later, Hart allegedly pulled a firearm and demanded Richard McDonald hand over a backpack containing drugs. That, prosecutors say, is when Christian pulled out his own pistol, only to be fatally shot by Hart in the subsequent exchange of gunfire.
Hart, bleeding from a wound in the neck, allegedly fled with the drugs and then later went to the hospital. In interviews over the next several weeks, he purportedly gave conflicting accounts to investigators about his involvement in McDonald's slaying, before detectives obtained evidence and witness statements supporting Hart's arrest on suspicion of murder.
remims@sltrib.com
Twitter: @remims
Jeremiah Ray Hart. Courtesy photo
