Preliminary hearing set for West Valley City teen accused of killing step-father

By Jessica Miller The Salt Lake Tribune

Published: September 16, 2013 10:48 am
Courts • Rosco Brackett is charged with murder in the death of James Michael George.
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A preliminary hearing remains set for October for a West Valley City teenager charged as an adult for allegedly killing his stepfather.

Rosco Dewayne Brackett was 16 years old when he allegedly killed 52-year-old James Michael George on Sept. 13, 2012.

Brackett, now 18, appeared in Salt Lake City's 3rd District Court on Monday, where a daylong preliminary hearing was reaffirmed for Oct. 15.

Brackett is charged as an adult with first-degree felony murder, along with felony discharge of a firearm and obstructing justice for allegedly hiding a gun and getting rid of the shirt he was wearing during the alleged shooting.

Brackett and George were arguing in a home near 3700 South and 6800 West, when Brackett grabbed a loaded handgun from the front room of the home and fired at his stepfather, according to charging documents. When the bullet went over George's head, Brackett allegedly fired again, hitting the man in the head. He then filed several more shots at the man on the ground, charges state.

George died the next morning in a hospital.

Brackett is being held in the Salt Lake County jail, with bail set at $1 million.

Before the Sept. 13 shooting, Brackett had only one run-in with the law, according to juvenile court records.

Brackett was referred to a juvenile court May 2010 for shoplifting less than $299 worth of property.

jmiller@sltrib.com

Twitter: @jm_miller

© Copyright 2024 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.