Angel Caldera
LAKE HAVASU CITY – A Lake Havasu City man faces a mandatory prison sentence following his conviction at trial in a shooting death. A Mohave County Superior Court jury found Angel Caldera guilty of manslaughter following deliberation in Kingman on Friday, April 26.
The jury declined to convict Caldera, 23, of second-degree murder, favoring instead conviction for the lesser included offense of manslaughter. The panel rejected the self-defense claim offered by Legal Defender Jonathan Robinson.
There was no dispute that Caldera had kicked Arnell Bell, 19, out of a residence at 2595 McCulloch Boulevard N for failure to pay rent. It was also uncontested that the pair scuffled before Caldera opened fire on May 17 last year.
Robinson asserted that Bell was pummeling Caldera, knocked his glasses off and pulled his shirt over his head. Robinson said Caldera shot Bell with his Glock after Bell said he was going to stab him.
Prosecutor Leah Nelson countered that Bell was unarmed and that Caldera all but emptied the weapon on Bell, shooting him four times in the back. Nelson said the medical examiner testified that Bell sustained 12 gunshot wounds.
Nelson said that conclusion matches the defendant’s testimony that the Glock had a 13-bullet capacity and other testimony that a single round had not been fired.
Caldera faces a 7-21 prison term when sentenced May 23.
Dave Hawkins
