13 charges filed against Hells Angel

Kim Smith

Wednesday, May 8, 2002 | 8:39 a.m.

Clark County prosecutors Tuesday filed 13 felony charges, including murder and attempted murder, against an Arizona man accused of taking part in a deadly brawl at Harrah's Laughlin.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Ron Bloxham filed the charges against Calvin Schaefer, 32, during a hearing in which Justice of the Peace Deborah Lippis ruled Schaefer's bail money was legitimately obtained.

Schaefer was expected to be released from the Clark County Detention Center sometime today after posting 10 percent of his $250,000 bail.

Schaefer faces eight counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon, one count of open murder, two counts of second-degree murder and a single count of burglary with use of a deadly weapon. All of the charges carry a criminal gang enhancement, which doubles any potential sentence.

Attorneys in the case declined to comment immediately after the hearing and could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.

Police allege Schaefer, a Chandler sheet metal worker, fired at least 11 shots in the April 27 confrontation between the Hells Angels and Mongols, both outlaw biker gangs.

Although authorities have conceded they cannot prove any of Schaefer's shots killed anyone, a surveillance tape reportedly shows the Hells Angel member firing three shots at Benjamin Leyva, a member of the Mongols, who gets up and limps away.

Three California men -- Jeramie Dean Bell, 27, of Hughson, Robert Emmet Tumelty, 50, of Stockton, and Anthony Salvador Barrera, 43, of Rancho Cucamonga -- were killed.

Police say Bell and Tumelty, who were members of the Hells Angels, were shot to death. Barrera, a reputed Mongol, was stabbed to death.

According to the criminal complaint, Schaefer was charged with the murder of Barrera under five legal theories. One theory is that Schaefer and the other bikers planned to commit murder when they entered the casino and another theory is that Barrera was killed during the commission of a crime -- burglary.

Another theory is that Schaefer and the other gang members "engaged in a course of conduct" they knew could result in death.

Schaefer was charged with second-degree murder for the deaths of his fellow bikers under the course of conduct theory as well.

Lippis set a preliminary hearing date of July 25 for Schaefer, although prosecutors have already announced they intend to seek an indictment against him.