Ray David Flores, Jr., 30, faces 54 years in prison after a jury today convicted him of strangling and assaulting Steven Scroggs on July 3 this year. Mr. Scroggs, who allegedly was kidnapped by Anselmo Untalan and Mr. Flores at gunpoint, managed to escape with his life and to call police to report the crimes.
Attorney General Douglas Moylan will be asking the court to sentence Mr. Flores to the maximum 29 years imprisonment. On top of that, Mr. Flores faces another sentence of between five and 25 years in prison for committing the felonies while on pretrial release on another felony case.
A judge released Mr. Flores from jail pending adjudication of felony charges in 2020 for alleged burglary and theft with a special allegation of use of a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony. The attorney general has been fighting for the criminal justice system to keep people accused of violent crimes in jail pending trial, or to at least require cash bond payments as a condition of release.
“Getting it wrong in releasing a criminal defendant pretrial has dire consequences to we, law-abiding people of Guam,” Mr. Moylan said. “We ask the senators to decisively fix a broken system. Just last month, in just 30 days, 89 defendants violated our judges’ orders, allegedly creating an additional 18 crime victims that might not have suffered had defendants like Ray Flores not been released.”
This narrative depicting the crimes was filed in the prosecutor’s affidavit of probable cause that led to the charges against Mr. Flores and Mr. Untalan:
“On or about July 3, 2023 at approximately 6:31 P.M. officers met Steven Daniel Mafnas Scroggs at a residence in Chalan Pago. Scroggs told officers that ANSELMO JOSE UNTALAN had punched him in the face repeatedly before aiming a brown stock SKS rifle at him and threatened to shoot. UNTALAN took the victim’s car keys and forced him into a vehicle before driving to an apartment in the Green Park Condominiums. UNTALAN carried the rifle with him as the two of them went upstairs into the unit. The victim told officers that RAY DAVID FLORES JR. was inside and punched him repeatedly. The DEFENDANTS then forced the victim back into the vehicle with UNTALAN in the driver’s seat and FLORES in the back seat with the victim. FLORES continued to assault the victim while the vehicle was moving. FLORES took out a black tie and started to strangle the victim who told officers that he was going in and out of consciousness while being strangled. Eventually the vehicle and occupants went back to the apartment. FLORES continued the assault while UNTALAN left. Eventually the victim was able to escape.”
The jury deliberated for less than a day.
1 Comments
Imelda Tanapino
12/28/2023 at 9:33 PM
“Faces 54 years in prison”??? Get real.
This ice fuelled violent felon may be convicted by a jury of his “peers”, but his parent’s paree will ensure we are not protected from him for 54, 44, 34, 24, or even 14 years.
It’s likely he’ll be able to share his hellishness with the rest of us in less than 4 years – thanks to “let ’em go” judges like Cisson and Perez.