A Utah transient accused of fatally shooting a Pleasant Grove woman during a drug bender in a Salt Lake City motel in November will move toward a homicide trial after a judge found there was probable cause for the charges.
Third District Judge Elizabeth Hruby-Mills’ determination to bind 37-year-old Joshua Valasi Saunders over came after a preliminary hearing that started Tuesday and went into Wednesday morning. The hearing included testimony from Salt Lake City police detective Jessica Kilgore, medical examiner Pamela Ulmer and an eyewitness who invoked his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.
According to testimony, there were two other people in the room at the Gateway Inn motel at 819 West North Temple, at the time Saunders allegedly shot Mechelle Lindberg on the morning of Nov.