2 Men Arrested in Fatal Shooting at Jewelry Store

A Dana Point man and a Canadian national were arrested Friday in connection with a Lake Forest holdup that left a jewelry store owner dead and her husband in a coma, officials said.

James Jordan Priel, 21, of Vancouver was taken into custody at 1:30 a.m. Friday at a Laguna Hills home. David Berrera Valladeres, 23, of Dana Point was arrested several hours later at his job in San Juan Capistrano.

“The family is very pleased with the support they received from the community,” said Sheriff’s Department Capt. Robert D. Kemmis. “Today’s arrests may help to lighten their burden.”

Jewel Garden owner Nancy Sleiman, 51, was fatally shot in the July 30 robbery on El Toro Road. Her husband, Michel, 53, was shot in the head. He remains on life support.

The Sleimans reportedly buzzed the two robbers through a security door before they were shot, Kemmis said. The couple installed the security system after a robbery in January 1997.

During that robbery, a suspended Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy, Timothy Sladeck, stole $117,000 worth of merchandise from the shop. Sladeck was sentenced to more than five years in state prison after pleading guilty to

robbing the store.

“This demonstrates the difficulties merchants face when dealing with valuable commodities despite taking necessary safety precautions,” Kemmis said.

Lt. Hector Rivera said the first break in the murder case was finding a sport utility vehicle that was used in the robbery near the jewelry store. The truck was stolen the day before the shooting in an Irvine carjacking, he said.

Then, Vancouver Police Det. Murray Phillips got a tip and contacted local deputies.

“He was aware that a subject had come back up from the United States and was involved in a robbery that may have occurred in this county,” Kemmis said. “The constable detective is [a] very active and aggressive detective, and he heard the information on the streets.

“As soon as he heard it, he gave us a call and the pieces of the puzzle started coming together.”

If convicted, Valladeres and Priel face the death penalty. If Michel Sleiman dies, they also will face a second murder count, Rivera said.

The Sleimans, who emigrated from Lebanon to Orange County 15 years ago, had built a successful business. The couple moved into their dream house in Nellie Gail Ranch in Laguna Hills a week before the shooting.

Alan Sleiman, 16, son of the victims, said he was encouraged by the arrests. He said he, his brother Danny, 27, and sister, Dolly, 24, are coping with the loss.

“They’re doing all right,” he said. “We’re handling it.”

Eugene Powers, owner of DN Tinker Co. Jewelers, located near the Jewel Garden in Lake Forest, said he was relieved to hear of the arrests.

“It was too close for comfort,” Powers said. “Any time something like this happens in the industry, we’re very concerned.”