Man ordered to stand trial for death of girlfriend after prosecutors say abuse led to her suicide

PROVO — A man was ordered to stand trial for manslaughter on Thursday after prosecutors say he left a gun within eyesight of his suicidal girlfriend and spoke to her in a demeaning tone.

Although Rena Nguyen, 20, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, prosecutors allege it was Caleb Rees' relentless abuse during their "tumultuous relationship" that drove her to take her own life. Prosecutors cited a 14-hour audio recording made on her phone the night she died — Oct. 1, 2021.

Her parents, Rose and Keith Nguyen, traveled to Provo from California for the hearing and told news media she "had a future so full of promise" that was stolen from her. Charges were not filed against Rees until almost three years after her death. Nguyen's parents also previously filed a wrongful death lawsuit claiming police mishandled the case.

Fourth District Judge Sean Petersen ordered Rees to face a jury trial for manslaughter and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, second-degree felonies; along with six counts of possession of a firearm as a restricted person and two additional counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, third-degree felonies.

In support of his decision, Peterson referred to the audio recording where Rees ordered his girlfriend to show him the text following her call with police that woke him up. He said Rees used a "mocking tone" and "singsongy voice" when he asked if she wanted his mom to come help or to go to the mental hospital. The judge said he continued to mock, demean and belittle Rena Nguyen during what the judge considered to be a mental health crisis.

Defense: 'This is him doing what he can'

Thursday was the final portion of the preliminary hearing for Rees, which consisted of questions for the case's lead investigator, Orem police officer Jeffery Randall. He was questioned by Rees' attorney, Jeremy Shimada, before answering a few final questions from prosecutors.

Shimada's questions clarified that Rees moved the gun from the bedside table, which was inches away from the bed Rena Nguyen was using, to a table about 8 or 10 feet away from the bed. He argued that Rees was moving it away from her.

He said to be guilty of manslaughter, Rees would have needed to provide the physical means for Rena Nguyen's death, which he said was not met by moving the gun further away.

"This is not him providing the physical means; this is him doing what he can in the moment," the attorney said. "He did everything he could in that moment to make it even harder for her to commit suicide."

Randall also testified about a welfare check done by police that night through a phone call after Rena Nguyen sent a message to a friend talking about holding a loaded gun to her head. The officer clarified that they did not go see her in person because sometimes a police presence can escalate things, and they cannot force people to seek help.

Shimada argued that if the police thought the situation was resolved, Rees might reasonably have thought so as well.

He said the highly emotional situation displayed in the audio recording in conversations between Rees and Rena Nguyen does not meet the requirements for the manslaughter charge.

Prosecution: Rees 'consciously disregarded ... risk'

Deputy Utah County attorney Adam Pomeroy argued that Rees did not move the gun out of the room when he could have. He said if it were not for Rees' action, Rena Nguyen would not have died "in that way or at that time," saying he was the "proximate cause of her death."

He said Rees was aware Nguyen was suicidal, and audio shows he was continually demeaning and degrading toward her, saying he wanted her to leave the home they had both lived in for an extended period.

"He consciously disregarded that risk, and he left her alone in a room with a loaded handgun; he even drew attention to that handgun by moving it from the bedside table directly into her line of sight," Pomeroy said.

He argued that to be found guilty, Rees would not need to provide the physical means. He noted that in other states, parents have been convicted after allowing their children to have a gun that was used in a school shooting, and he said what Rees did here was worse than that.

The attorney said Rees "had no care in the world but for himself," citing comments on the recordings from Rees about not wanting to remove guns from the home.

Rees' next hearing will be on June 30, when he will be asked to plead either guilty or not guilty to each of the charges.

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