By Brooke Walker
Murder charges were filed Tuesday, Jan. 20, against a man suspected of shooting his boss earlier this month at a Lehi construction site. The charges have directed attention to state immigration and labor laws.
A dispute over money resulted in the murder of 38-year-old business owner, Joseph Crummy of Salt Lake on January 9. Police arrested Jesus Hernandez, 32, that same afternoon for investigation of murder, possession of a weapon by a restricted person and obstruction of justice.
According to Lehi Police Sgt. Jeff Swenson, the argument began over the amount of money Crummy owed Hernandez for work. As the fight continued, Hernandez apparently shot Crummy, who was seated in his truck, through an open window with a small caliber handgun.
'At least five to six rounds were fired, don''t know how many hit the victim,' Sgt. Jeff Swenson, of the Lehi Police Department, told the Desert News.
Crummy died shortly after he arrived by ambulance to the American Fork Hospital.
Hernandez fled the scene immediately and police arrested him within hours of the shooting at his mother''s home in Taylorsville. Police recovered the gun they believed Hernandez used in the shooting
The suspect, who was an illegal immigrant, had filed a complaint against Crummy with the Utah Labor Division earlier in the year, claiming Crummy owed him $1,345.
The Division''s Employment Standards'' focus is to administer and enforce particular state labor laws. One of the laws monitored and enforced by the Division includes the payment of wages contained in Utah Code Annotated, Title 34, Chapter 28. Employment Standards are responsible for processing, investigating, mediating and adjudicating claims concerning violations of labor laws. The Utah Labor Division responds to over 40,000 inquiries per year.
Once a claim has been filed, an evaluation process takes place and a caseworker is assigned to the complaint. Unfortunately, due to the high number of claims filed each year, the process can be quite lengthy.
'It can depend on the case load and whatever is happening at the time,' said Delora Bertelsen, managing director of Employee Relations at Brigham Young University. 'Sometimes they have more cases than they have case workers, so it could take longer.'
Millions of illegal immigrants who are working in the United States are often hesitant to activate these protection services, due to the fear of being imported. President Bush addressed this fear with his Immigration Proposal he presented before Congress earlier this month.
The proposal would provide a way for illegal immigrants, who can prove they are currently employed, to work legally, but temporarily, in the United States. Although there is great opposition concerning this proposal, President Bush believes his plan would make America safer. He thinks it would give the government a better idea of who was crossing U.S. borders, bolster the economy by meeting employers'' needs for willing low-wage workers, and fulfill a mandate for compassion by guaranteeing the rights and legitimacy of illegal workers.