Utah man held in deputy’s killing pleads not guilty
Rhett Nelson, who is also accused in the slaying of an acclaimed Russian snowboarder, appears in court.
A Utah man pleaded not guilty Monday to multiple counts of murder and robbery in connection with a rampage last month that left two men dead, including an off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff ’s deputy.
Rhett McKenzie Nelson, 30, of St. George, Utah, was charged with two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and two counts of robbery after the shooting deaths of Deputy Joseph Solano, 50, at a fastfood restaurant in Alhambra and Dmitry Koltsov, 30.
Nelson, who has grown a beard in the five weeks since his last court appearance, kept his eyes down and barely spoke during a brief appearance in a downtown courtroom. His attorney, Jenn Bartick, declined to comment. Nelson is due back in court Sept. 6.
Authorities said Nelson, who has a history of drug problems, fled his family’s home in southern Utah in early June after telling his relatives he wanted to “make it on his own or die.”
He was carrying a gun when he drove away from his family’s home, but neither his relatives nor the St. George Police Department thought he was a threat when he left on May 25, authorities said. Investigators in Utah did not believe his comments were suicidal, though Nelson’s family thought he’d recently suffered a drug relapse.
Nelson called his family from Orange County on June 4. With no evidence that he posed a threat to himself or others, St. George police closed their investigation.
Five days later, prosecutors say, Nelson is alleged to have shot and killed Koltsov, a champion Russian snowboarder who had become a beloved figure in the local skate and surf scene, after a brief verbal exchange with a group of skateboarders near downtown L.A.
An hour later, he walked into a Jack in the Box restaurant in Alhambra and shot Solano in the head, prosecutors said. The off-duty deputy was not wearing anything to identify himself as a member of law enforcement. There is no apparent motive in either killing.
Nelson also has been charged with two armed robberies in Long Beach and one count of attempted murder in connection with a shooting aimed at one of Koltsov’s friends. San Diego police said he is considered a suspect in robberies there.