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SPRINGVILLE — A Spanish Fork woman who police say was with Chase Michael Caimi when he shot and killed a man inside a van in 2022 is now facing criminal charges herself.
Chelsea Anna Acers, 32, was charged Wednesday in 4th District Court with two counts of obstructing justice, a second-degree felony. Charging documents also list two additional codefendants, but as of Thursday morning, those two had not been formally charged.
In January, Caimi, 32, of Springville, was charged with murder, a first-degree felony, in the Oct. 8, 2022, death of 56-year-old Bobby Pool. Pool was shot in the head and found dead in a van in an industrial area near 1851 N. Parkway Court. Caimi is also charged with obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony.
Caimi was the one who called 911. While on the phone with emergency dispatchers, Acers "could be heard talking to the dogs that had been in the van and then calling out 'Bobby' several times," according to charging documents filed Wednesday.
When police arrived, Acers claimed she and Caimi heard the dogs barking inside the van and discovered Pool's body when they went to investigate, the charges state.
"(She) denied being in or around the van, but her palm print was discovered on the inside of the driver's window," according to the charges.
Neither a gun nor casing were found in the vehicle, nor any evidence to suggest the gunshot was self-inflicted, according to investigators. A bullet was later recovered in the dashboard of the vehicle.
Earlier this year, on Jan. 4, Caimi was arrested in Colorado on a federal warrant. At that time, Acers agreed to be interviewed again.
"(She) told officers that on the night the victim was shot, she and Chase had been drinking heavily. Chase said he was going to shoot the victim and then Chase and (Acers) drove and parked near where the victim was parked. (She) told officers that Chase walked to the van, the victim opened the van door and then Chase shot at the victim twice, hitting him once in the temple," charging documents state.
Acers said the day after the shooting, she and Caimi were driving to a shooting range and disposed of the gun in a ditch, the charges state.
