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Grisly details of Paso Robles murder revealed

March 12, 2012

By KAREN VELIE

Bizarre details of the murder of a Paso Robles motel maintenance man were described in San Luis Obispo Superior Court on Friday by investigators and a witness who depicted four people planning to kill a man they accused of kidnapping and raping women and underage boys.

On Monday, Aug. 22, the body of  Robert Uyeno, 55, was discovered in a room at the Farmhouse Motel on Spring Street with signs he had been restrained, beaten and stabbed 21 times, lacerating his carotid artery and puncturing his heart, lungs, and spleen.

On the Sunday evening prior to the August murder, the four alleged methamphetamine users accused of killing Uyeno were sharing a room at the Wine Country Inn in Paso Robles when a fellow occupant of the motel, Millisa Fandel, stopped by to say she was headed to get burgers. She asked if she could bring some back to the four suspects, Alfonso “Pancho” Fierros, 32, of Paso Robles; Jennifer Velten, 29, of Paso Robles; John Wesley Barrett, 41, of Atascadero and Tabatha Brown, 29, of San Luis Obispo.

Alfonso “Pancho” Fierros

Fandel testified that she told the defendants she was angry because Velton had not freed her from the victim’s room at the Farmhouse Motel where Fandel had been kept captive for 12 hours. Velton allegedly responded by saying the victim had also kept her hostage in the past.

Investigators said details of the murder differed slightly in statements the three defendants — Fierros, Velton and Brown – gave them. Judge John Trice ruled that Barrett, the fourth suspect, determined to have an IQ of around 65, is not competent to stand trial.

In interviews with detectives, the three defendants agreed that after Fandel left the room, they discussed allegations that the victim was known to have repeatedly raped a 16-year-old mentally challenged boy and to tie up and rape women he would agree to trade sex for drugs with. The four suspects then agreed to make the victim pay for his actions by grabbing his dope bag, taking back a computer he allegedly took from Brown and beating him. Velten then texted the victim offering to trade him sex for drugs. Fandel told detectives she found gay porn on a laptop for the victim to watch while she sat on the bed. After a while, she texted Fierros, telling him she had left the door unlocked.

Jennifer Velten

Barrett and Fierros then allegedly barged in, tackled the victim, tied his hands behind his back and Barrett choked him with a belt while Fierros kicked and punched him, a detective said.

Fierros stabbed the victim multiple times with a knife he found in the victim’s room. After a while he complained to his girlfriend, Velton, the blade was getting dull. Velton discovered  a red, utility knife on the night stand for Fierros to continue to stab the victim with. At one point he also used a leather punch or ice pick to stab the victim, a detective said.

Brown waited outside the victim’s room during the assault, and headed back to the Wine Country Inn with Velton, Barrett and Fierros who snatched the victim’s dope sack, cigarettes, a cell phone, lottery tickets and several laptops, according to detectives.

Shortly after they arrived back at the Wine Country Inn, Velton realized she had left her purse in the victim’s Farmhouse Motel room and went back to get it. She and Fierros claim the victim was still alive but unconscious at that point.

The four alleged murderers then shared methamphetamine they had stolen, while Barrett, Velton and Fierros discussed plans to leave town.

Tabatha Brown

Fandel testified Barrett asked her before leaving the Inn the afternoon of the murder, “Is it true about that guy? Is it true he ties up women and rapes them? I have it taken care of. I need to get out of town.”

Fandel argued that the victim may have kept her hostage, but he never tied her up or raped her. She also claimed the syringes detectives found on the nightstand were not for injecting drugs into the victim’s veins, but were for pumping meth into the victim’s rectum in order to get high.

After the suspects left, Fandel told police detectives about Barrett’s alleged confession. Brown, Velton and Fierros pled not guilty and remain in San Luis Obispo County Jail.

Friday’s preliminary hearing concluded with Judge Trice ruling that sufficient evidence was presented to proceed to trial. Trice noted that even though Brown did not seem as culpable as the other two defendants, she should also be charged with first degree murder because she is accused of paying the other defendants to commit the robbery.

Trice set the defendants’ arraignments  for March 20.

John Barrett


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Barrett faked his IQ test & skated, He’s the the dummy here. Look at his eyes, he’s not a 65, look into the eyes of the other three, you’ll see the back of their head.

We love to hate these freaks but as a prior resident of “the Mesa” (Nipomo) in the late ’60’s when I returned decades later my happy hippie friends were toothless demons like these examples. It really is a random disease that starts out as the medicine depression etc.then turns into a horrific disease. Now Pharma’s contribution, Oxys like rain everywhere.


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Opps, I meant Barrett isn’t the dummy. Has “Typoking” been taken as an ID here yet?


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Where is the Village idiot John Barrett? He is too dumb to be prosecuted, so……? Is he roaming the streets doing meth and planning more vengence killings of scumbags?


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The thing that is sad here is some of the responces. There are some lashing out at this political party or that political party. Then there are some lashing out at the Paso P.D. The one place I don’t see 100% of the blame squarely where it should be is PERSONAL RESPOSIBILITY!!!


No body put the drugs into their bodies but them. No body hatched the plan but them. No body carried out the plan but them. The cops are reactive not proactive. Call when you have a body. As far as busting them because they are high? If they are getting high behind closed doors that would be kind of hard?


I get that a lot of people hate this party or that or they don’t like the current police chief (hey I don’t like her either) but COMMON how in the hell do either political party play into this? How do the beat cops that are doing what they are told by superiors (and the same cops that have filed complaints from what we have seen) play a responsiblity to this? I don’t like when bad things happen anymore than others but lets be fair on the politics and police and again put the blame where it belongs.


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That’s what I said a few POSTS down. Thanks for a better perspective. These people chose to be in the drug culture. They chose to exchange sex for drugs. They chose this! What they do behind closed doors is both disgusting, AND protected by the 4th Amendment. The Cops can’t crash in the door just because they want to. I also bet ALL of the suspects and victim have been arrested multiple times. If you want to blame people, blame the people that made the choice to use drugs and be the underbellies of society. They did not have to be there, they chose to be there. Too bad someone had to die, but now all of the involved will be where they belong: in prison.


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The “personal responsibility” discussion is based more in philosophy than in the reality of residents being defenseless in a town with increasing crime levels and the inability of their police officers to respond to their calls for help because their chief won’t let them or needs to use their time as publicity props for her public-relations events.


From a philosophical point of view, if criminals carry the personal responsibility for their crimes, philosophically the city of PR does not need to have a law-enforcement agency to deal with crime.


However, that is in the philosophical world, which is quite different from the real world we live in.


In reality, there are police departments because others suffer from what criminals do. I don’t know any criminals, so I don’t know if they actually take personal responsibility for what they do, but, to me, it doesn’t matter. Whether or not they take personal responsibility for their crimes, they continue to commit the crimes. Therefore, there needs to be a LE agency to deal with the crime.


Paso Robles needs an effective LE agency. The residents, with solomon as chief, have not received the LE protection they have paid for. The city manager and the city council has allowed this to go on for years now, despite complaints from PR residents.


Lisa solomon taking “personal time off” or WHATEVER is a good first step. However, if she returns to duty in any capacity at PR, there will be no improvement. This is because solomon, App and the city council have created a toxic environment, from which the residents of PR suffer.


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O.k. Mary. Seeing as it wasn’t a case of personal resposibility as you say and is some kind of cosmic interference, how are cops to prevent this? Drugs are EVERYWHERE in this country, not just Paso Robles. Do we just go around arresting everyone doing drugs? How full do you think our prisons will be then?


How about EDUCATING those (and yes I KNOW that you can’t make someone want to) who do about the downward sprial of this lifestyle? I know they probably know, so there it is back to square one.


You want to blame the cops. Should we assaign one cop per druggie waiting for them to do something wrong? YOU think there are simple answers. I’m afraid not. If you want some interesting reading on how we are losing the drug war in this country, why don’t you go check out Rolling Stone Magazines article How We Are Losing The War On Drugs, from the Dec. 2007 issue.


Mary this started 40 years ago. The meth problem isn’t all of a sudden getting worse, it started getting worse in the mid to late 80’s in the state of Ca. in the northern part of the state. It was the Hell’s Angels that got it going while we where wasting time busting marijuanna growers (i.e. C.A.M.P.) and letting the more serious stuff get a foothold. If you doubt any of this again I reference the Rolling Stone issue.


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This happens when police do not respond to calls.


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LOL danika, I might have known you wouldn’t miss pointing out that the PR police ignore calls about drug dealers and you’re right in my opinion. No doubt all these tweakers know that the COPS AINT COMIN when someone notices and reports some odd behavior so locking people up in motel rooms, letting them scream and running back and forth isn’t a concern to these animals.


This is the most bizarre story and its quite unnerving to think that 3 people would actually commit such a heinous act upon another human being. That isn’t something that just anybody can do and yet here are three people who met each other and had no problem with it. I always wonder how it is that people of this nature (and this nature is rare) manage to find each other? It has to be the drugs that bring this out in people who otherwise would probably never commit such an evil act of torture and murder, is there no end to the evils that meth works in the minds and bodies of mankind?


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Sometimes you just gotta let them dogpile on you and know you are right.


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Obviously you seem to have it in your head that what you post here is the truth and nothing but. PRPD responds to EVERY call, some just may be prioritized lower.That was made clear a long time ago. Every agency prioritizes calls. They will and have always responded to every call regarding drug sales/DUI’s etc. I bet all of these suspects AND the victim have been arrested multiple times by PRPD in the past. They people chose to live the drug life style, chose to exchange sex for drugs, chose their own destiny. These people all made a decision to do drugs behind closed doors, and then rip off another druggie for dope. To say “this is what happens when police don’t reposnd” is absurd. Yes, you are upset for your perceived lack of service. But stop painting a with a broad brush. Do you still call for problems in your area? What is the current situation? Probably a whole lot of nothing. Did you see those dopers across from were evicted? Gone. That came right after the raid that was there. Does that matter that there was a direct cause/effect with the cops raiding an and then the dirt bag leaving?? To you aparently not.


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That is not the policy exactly. If they do not go to calls those calls would be barking dog, parking issues, noise complaints etc. And I know an Officer that does not blame the department for what happened. Violent crime is going to happen. If you want to blame someone, or something, blame the economy. That is what caused the department to be understaffed. Look around at how many departments lost tons of cops. Paso Robles is not an island.

No one has failed to go after gangs and drugs in the City. There maybe less arrests but there are also less cops. Again, blame the above.


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“That is not their policy exactly.”


Again, do your research. Get up off the couch and take responsibility for the accuracy of what you post.


So far, you are so frequently, apparently willfully “inaccurate,” your posts have little credibility.


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Since you constantly spout off “do your research”, please tell me oh wise one, what research have YOU done to support you mean spirited views?? The “safe mode” is a way to prioritize calls to ensure there are cops available when there is someone who needs help NOW. Not a barking dog. Not a loud party. Not beacuse there are mean looking juveniles walking in my parking lot. Some calls hold, that is true. It is true in EVERY police department. Tell me where I am inaccurate? I am waiting? Please include where you do your research too because I, apparently, need to drink from the same well of knowledge that you bathe in.

You tell me how safe mode works then since you seem to be in the know. Also, CCN is not a good source, either is the disgruntled employees that have provided false info to CCN. I am waiting for your research….


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The PRPD responds to every call only in your reality. For the rest of us, we know better.


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Yeah, maybe philosophically they respond to every call, but in the real world…not so much.


What the PRPD does in response to many calls is the equivalent of flipping their collective middle finger to the resident caller.


I’m not blaming those officers and police support staff who have to follow solomon’s policies. The blame squarely lands on the shoulders of solomon, her direct supervisor (App), and his supervisors (city council).


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THANK YOU.


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Some may call them Tweakers, but they act like vicious animals. Modern medicine has no cure or rehabilitation for these beings………..


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It does, but the do gooders won’t let death row use the drugs that should be used.


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Another “Breaking Bad” example of North County melodrama. What is it that cowboys, conservatives, and tweakers are so often found in the same locales ?


Minor distinction, but Brown is a heroin addict. .

Where is the mentally unfit Barret at now ? ASH ?


Sure glad I’m not on this jury !


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You act like the south county doesn’t have its share of problems. Oh that’s right you live in the happiest place on earth.(rolls eyes)


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Hey, AGPD rolls on calls, and they don’t let drug dealing, DUIs and rape calls go unmet.


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Get your FACTS STRAIGHT!! Now you are lumping in the rape call?? Give me a break! I am pretty sure PRPD dropped the ball on the Kennedy assassination and the Challenger explosion, too. If your milk spoiled in the ‘fridge, I am sure PRPD did something to make that happen.


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What is the deal with the Wine country Inn? Is this where the local meth addicts hook up for drugs and parties? If these old motels on Spring Street are part of the drugs and vagrants problem, then maybe we need to either make them police themselves, or shut them down. Chief Lisa, as usual, doesn’t have a clue. Worthless excuse for a police chief.


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Dopers get arrested out of the Wine Country, Farmhouse, Relax Inn, and Economy on an almost daily basis. Are the motels part of the problem? Yes and no. Yes because they rent to locals and then turn a blind eye. But look at these motels! They are dirty and cater to drug use. Once that room door closes they have 4th Amendment protections just like you do in your house.

How can the Police simply shut a business down? Don’t the motel owners have a right to do business? How is the manager to know what goes on in the room? Are they responsible for others’ actions while in the rooms? Since the place looks like crap, who are they going to rent to besides crap? Since that is the case, how are they going to have money to fix it up and turn it into a respectable motel?

30,000 people in the City of Paso and you think the Police can control/enforce/catch everone that is up to no good? The Police have rules that they have to follow (Constitution, case law, etc) while druggies have no rules to follow. None. I bet if you look up these suspects, all of them have been arrested before. Maybe if the Courts slammed them into prison, this would not have happened. But then the liberals will cry that addicts who get busted for drug offenses should not go to jail. They need help (boo hoo)!

The issue is not as easy as all of you profess. Yes is is horrible for the victim. Yes the suspects are drugged out low lifes. But all of them chose the life of drug use. Most have been to drug rehab I bet, and failed. Where is the failure? With them? Society? Drug laws? How can you blame the Chief of Police for the failure of individuals who stay in the drug culture on their own accord? Did any of these druggies REPORT what was going on in the victim’s room? Nope. They got their drugs, they don’t care. A sad existence that often leads to where this led.


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I’m not suggesting that the police can go in and just shut down a business. Health, safety, and fire code violations are what makes a business improve itself or shut down. Look at the reviews of this motel http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32861-d1175221-Reviews-Wine_Country_Inn-Paso_Robles_California.html. Bed bugs, fleas, mold, bodily fluids on comforters usually constitute a health code violation. Are extra people being allowed to stay in the rooms–is this a fire or safety code violation? Are there people coming and going all night long–indication of drug dealing?


Sorry, motels can and do take care of these problems when they want to.


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And THAT is the issue! “Sorry, motels can and do take care of these problems when they want to.” These places will NEVER be decent because of who owns them!! A long time ago the Economy used to be called the Stardust. It was a dope motel then too. They spent a lot of money cleaning up the place, gutted the rooms, made a lot of cosmetic improvements. And they were improvements too. They changed the name to the Economy Inn. And guess what? It is STILL A DOPE MOTEL!! Every City has them! The best idea is for a City to but the Wine Country and all the others, bull doze them, and turn each into a park or something productive.


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If you want to get get a business to shape up and do what it is supposed to do (especially with safety issues), file complaints against their license(s).


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“Dopers get arrested out of the Wine Country, Farmhouse, Relax Inn, and Economy on an almost daily basis.”


——


Really? In Paso Robles? I think I’d need to see a credible log to believe that, since solomon’s “safe mode” doesn’t even allow drug-deal calls to be answered.


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And you know what “safe mode” is from what? Reading the papers? Blogging? Listeneing to your fellow anti-police lobby? Yo have no idea what you are talking about Ms. Malone. None. Zero. I would explain it to you but I sure you would twist it around and still say they don’t respond to calls. This is like the “Emporer’s New Clothes”, you refuse to look at reality. Yes they get arrested all the time in Paso. As you said to me once: DO SOME OF YOUR OWN RESEARCH. Then you may get some real insight to how it really is, and maybe, just maybe, have a better understanding of what the cops do. You can hate the Chief all you want, but the cops are out there doing their jobs. Yes, they arrest dopers and others all the time.


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I know from reading the “Paso Robles Interdepartmental Memorandum,” dated January 27, 2011, from Lisa Solomon (police chief) to James L. App (city manager). The subject of the memo was “Service Reduction Plan.”


If you did your own research, you would know this, as well.


The new reductions took effect on February 1, 2011.


http://www.scribd.com/doc/85232397/Solomon-Memo-Safe-Mode-Crime-Priorities


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That’s your research?? That is it? A memo over one year old? I know about the memo. I also know that the memo is blakc and white, which life never is. I also know that the “safe mode” has been modified and is not practiced as written. In fact, safe mode is really barely existent any more. Like I have been saying all along, the only calls that hold are barking dogs, parking issues, and other low low low priority stuff. Funny how you hang your research on a memo over one year old.

I told you some of my “research”. I go to some of the hot spots and see for myself. I have spoken to numerous PRPD officers, and have driven a black and white with them to see what happens. Yup, I wanted to see things from the street perspective. I went out there and was not “on my couch” as you quipped. Iwould think my research far exceeds yours, wouldn’t you agree??


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Give it a rest, dogpound. You don’t have a clue about what you are talking about. Perhaps try to research the background of the issue before you start spewing.


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I totally agree, Citizen.


Paso Robles also has worthless excuses of a City Council and city manager, both of which could have terminated, or at least sent out on administrative leave, chief solomon.


Gang issues and drug dealing issues have increased under solomon’s failed leadership. Recently, a woman was dragged into a park and raped. Another local woman and business owner has had to deal (for months) with apparently illegal activity and tweakish people hanging out in the adjacent parking lot to her business. She is concerned about the safety of herself and her employees, as well as the negative impact on her business. She has contacted the PD multiple times, to no avail.


If the city council believes wasting solomon’s time with the pubilc-relations stunts she loves to do is making their city more attractive to wineries, businesses and tourists, they need to think again.


Who in the heck would want to visit, or start a business of any kind, in Paso Robles?


Anyone who is aware of what Paso Robles has become will do their best to make sure they have enough gasoline to zip right on past it. There are lots of wineries in SLO County, so PR’s wineries could be easily crossed off the list of tourists visiting our wine country.


Perhaps PR should change its logo to that of a skull and crossbones.


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I hereby declare thee Queen of Hyperbole.


Q. Who in the heck would want to visit, or start a business of any kind, in Paso Robles?


A. I started a business in Paso Robles and haven’t regretted it for a minute. Based on consistently full or near capacity hotels, I assume plenty of people want to visit the area. I have out of town friends and family who are always happy to visit.


Skull and crossbones? Yes, Paso Robles is a landlocked pirate ship. I’d call you a rabble-rouser but the only thing you seem to be rousing is boring repetition.


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I actually think a Skull and Crossbones logo would be cool!! We could also change the water park into a pirate themed water park!! MaryMalone rarely has anything good to spew, I mean type, but I think she is onto something here!!! Thank you OldNed for an injection of common sense…


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Well, goody for you.


In today’s economic environment, one needs to take every advantage when starting a new business.


Most business owners would not choose an area where police can only respond to certain calls, only certain crimes will be investigated (i.e., if your business is robbed of less than $10,000 worth, the detectives won’t bother with investigating it; if the patrol officer can’t solve it him/herself, then it just simply is not investigated; gang activity; drug trafficking, and more).


Knowing that PR has an increasing rate of crimes, and the fact that some crimes are not going to be investigated, would put additional common-sense pressure on businesses to not locate their offices in PR.


Within the past two weeks there has been a rape and a grisly, meth-related murder.


Danika has been trying for months to get the police to respond to her calls for assistance regarding the suspected drug activity and group of miscreants that frequent the parking lot next to their business.


Sure, I think the ininformed might think Paso is a place to visit. However, once they find out what is going on, and see for themselves the collection of miscreants that hang out in a business area, I think it will be the last time they visit, and they won’t be telling the folks back home to visit PR, either.


In addition, visiting an area is one thing. Opening a business there is another.


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The murder was last year. Might want to check your facts before you type without thinking. (as usual)


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I’ve tried giving you the benefit of the doubt but this response confirms that having a rational discussion with you is impossible.


Q. Who would open a business in Paso?

A. I did and have been happy about it.


The best you can do with that is: “Goody for you”? Seriously? You have to be the most consistently negative windbag on this site. I suspect even your name is a lie. Nobody with Irish blood can be as negative and manipulative as you are.


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PR has unchecked gang activity and drug-dealing activity. A woman was dragged into a park and raped in PR a couple of weeks ago. There was a ghastly murder last weekend in PR. If you are robbed of property less than $10,000, a PR detective will not investigate it. If the officer doesn’t discover who did it on the first call, then it won’t be investigated by PR.


For those of you who have insurance policies that require that a police report be filed and/or the case be investigated before they will pay–too bad for you.


That may sound like a “L’il Slice of Heaven” to you, but to many it sounds like “Don’t go there under any circumstances.”


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There is a choice here. Traffic tickets or confronting criminals, which do you choose?


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I wonder if the real story will ever be known.


I hope this puts an end to the idea that Paso Robles Police Department’s refusal to deal with the growing drug problem in PR is anything but an even worse tragedy in the making.


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Another sad meth story for the “Quentin Tarantino Mini-Series” files…


Reads ok like a real who-done-it…some editor’s polish needed to correct double words and typo’s.


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