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Utah County faces steep costs in rise of capital murder cases

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Utah County faces steep costs in rise of capital murder cases


Three high-profile death penalty cases are costing Utah County taxpayers millions of dollars, and records show the financial burden could have been reduced if the county had been accepted into a state fund designed to help pay those legal bills.

“We’re going to approve over $1 million today in expenses for an event that we didn’t want,” one Utah County commissioner said in a recent public meeting. “None of us wanted, and it happened to be here, and our taxpayers will now foot the bill.”

The most recent case involves Tyler Robinson, accused of shooting and killing Charlie Kirk earlier this year. So far, more than $1 million has been approved to cover the cost of prosecuting and defending Robinson.

But Robinson’s isn’t the only case draining county resources. Utah County is also footing the bill to defend Michael Jayne, accused of killing Sgt. Bill Hooser in 2024, and to retry Douglas Carter, charged with murdering a woman in Provo back in 1985.

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“These types of cases are among the most expensive a county can face,” said Skye Lazaro, a criminal defense attorney. “They cost multiple times more than a regular prosecution and defense of a non-capital case.”

Lazaro explained that death penalty cases require highly specialized Rule 8-qualified attorneys, along with more experts, more investigations, and extra legal safeguards. Contract records obtained through a GRAMA request show just how quickly those costs add up. For Carter’s case, defense attorneys are capped at $200,000, with another $140,000 available for investigators and specialists. Jayne’s defense carries a similar price tag.

“The $200,000 is just for billable attorney hours,” Lazaro said. “Then you have to add all the additional expenses, and that’s in both agreements.”

So why didn’t Utah County seek help from the state’s Indigent Aggravated Murder Defense Fund, a resource already used by more than 20 of Utah’s 29 counties? According to Utah County Commissioner Amelia Powers Gardner, they tried to. Gardner, who described the fund like an insurance pool for counties, said the county commission saw the need and applied in June 2024, but the application went nowhere.

“When we submitted our application, it was just never accepted,” she said. According to Gardner, someone outside of Utah County gave incorrect information to the state Indigent Defense Commission, claiming the county had nine pending capital cases, when there were only four.

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“They were told that letting Utah County join would bankrupt their fund,” she said. “The arguments against us were misrepresented, and we never got a chance to clarify them.”

But the fund’s executive director, Matthew Barraza, disputed that version of events. In a written statement, he said the application was never rejected. They were simply waiting on Utah County to respond to follow-up questions. “There was never any official decision, as we were waiting for their response,” Barraza wrote.

Had the county joined, the cost would have been substantial up front. About $1 million to cover its share for the previous two years and 2024, with an estimated $350,000 annual contribution after that.

Gardner said the county had already budgeted for it. “We had set aside the million dollars to pay into that pool,” she said. “But we ended up having to use that money to hire counsel to represent those cases.”

Looking at the costs to join the fund and the budgets of the cases, it appears Utah County taxpayers would have saved a significant amount of money had the county joined the fund in 2024. Something Lazaro confirmed, adding, “If these three cases go to trial through a penalty phase where the death penalty is elected, I think we can be reasonably certain that we would exceed those numbers.

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Utah man dies of injuries sustained in avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon

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Utah man dies of injuries sustained in avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon


A man died after he was caught in an avalanche in Big Cottonwood Canyon over the weekend.

A spokesperson for the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Thursday that Kevin Williams, 57, had died.

He, along with one other person, was hospitalized in critical condition after Saturday’s avalanche in the backcountry.

MORE | Big Cottonwood Canyon Avalanche

In an interview with 2News earlier this week, one of Williams’ close friends, Nate Burbidge, described him as a loving family man.

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“Kevin’s an amazing guy. He’s always serving, looking for ways that he can connect with others,” Burbidge said.

A GoFundMe was set up to help support Williams’ family.

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911 recordings detail hours leading up to discovery of Utah girl, mother dead in Las Vegas

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911 recordings detail hours leading up to discovery of Utah girl, mother dead in Las Vegas


CONTENT WARNING: This report discusses suicide and includes descriptions of audio from 911 calls that some viewers may find disturbing.

LAS VEGAS — Exclusively obtained 911 recordings detail the hours leading up to the discovery of an 11-year-old Utah girl and her mother dead inside a Las Vegas hotel room in an apparent murder-suicide.

Addi Smith and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, lived in West Jordan and had traveled to Nevada for the JAMZ cheerleading competition.

The calls show a growing sense of urgency from family members and coaches, and several hours passing before relatives learned what happened.

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MORE | Murder-Suicide

Below is a timeline of the key moments, according to dispatch records. All times are Pacific Time.

10:33 a.m. — Call 1

After Addi and her mother failed to appear at the cheerleading competition, Addi’s father and stepmother called dispatch for a welfare check.

Addi and her mother were staying at the Rio hotel. The father told dispatch that hotel security had already attempted contact.

“Security went up and knocked on the door. There’s no answer or response it doesn’t look like they checked out or anything…”

11:18 a.m. and 11:27 a.m. — Calls 2 and 3

As concern grew, Addi’s coach contacted the police two times within minutes.

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“We think the child possibly is in imminent danger…”

11:26 a.m. — Call 4

Addi’s stepmother placed another call to dispatch, expressing escalating concern.

“We are extremely concerned we believe that something might have seriously happened.”

She said that Tawnia’s car was still at the hotel.

Police indicated officers were on the way.

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2:26 p.m. — Call 5

Nearly three hours after the initial welfare check request, fire personnel were en route to the scene. It appeared they had been in contact with hotel security.

Fire told police that they were responding to a possible suicide.

“They found a note on the door.”

2:35 p.m. — Call 6

Emergency medical personnel at the scene told police they had located two victims.

“It’s going to be gunshot wound to the head for both patients with notes”

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A dispatcher responded:

“Oh my goodness that’s not okay.”

2:36 p.m. — Call 7

Moments later, fire personnel relayed their assessment to law enforcement:

“It’s going to be a murder suicide, a juvenile and a mother.”

2:39 p.m. — Call 8

Unaware of what had been discovered, Addi’s father called dispatch again.

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“I’m trying to file a missing persons report for my daughter.”

He repeats the details he knows for the second time.

3:13 p.m. — Call 9

Father and stepmother call again seeking information and continue to press for answers.

“We just need some information. There was a room check done around 3:00 we really don’t know where to start with all of this Can we have them call us back immediately?”

Dispatch responded:

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“As soon as there’s a free officer, we’ll have them reach out to you.”

4:05 p.m. — Call 10

More than an hour later, Addi’s father was put in contact with the police on the scene. He pleaded for immediate action.

“I need someone there I need someone there looking in that room”

The officer confirmed that they had officers currently in the room.

Addi’s father asks again what they found, if Addi and her mother are there, and if their things were missing.

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The officer, who was not on scene, said he had received limited information.

5:23 p.m. — Call 11

Nearly seven hours after the first welfare check request, Addi’s grandmother contacted police, describing conflicting information circulating within the family.

“Some people are telling us that they were able to get in, and they were not in the hotel room, and other people saying they were not able to get in the hotel room, and we need to know”

She repeated the details of the case. Dispatch said officers will call her back once they have more information.

Around 8:00 p.m. — Press Conference

Later that evening, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police held a news conference confirming that Addi and her mother, Tawnia McGeehan, were found dead inside the hotel room.

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The investigation remains ongoing.

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Ban on AI glasses in Utah classrooms inches closer to passing

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Ban on AI glasses in Utah classrooms inches closer to passing


AI glasses could allow you to get answers, snap photos, access audio and take phone calls—and now a proposal moving through the legislature would ban the glasses from Utah school classrooms.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Kizzy Guyton Murphy, a mother who accompanied her child’s class on a field trip to the state Capitol on Wednesday. “You can’t see inside what the student is looking at, and it’s just grounds for cheating.”

Mom Tristan Davies Seamons also sees trouble with AI glasses.

“I don’t think they should have any more technology in schools than they currently have,” she said.

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Her twin daughters, fourth graders Finley and Grayson, don’t have cell phones yet.

“Not until we’re like 14,” said Grayson, adding they do have Chromebooks in school.

2News sent questions to the Utah State Board of Education:

  • Does it have reports of students using AI glasses?
  • Does it see cheating and privacy as major concerns?
  • Does it support a ban from classrooms?

Matt Winters, USBE AI specialist, said the board has not received reports from school districts of students with AI glasses.

“Local Education Agencies (school districts) have local control over these decisions based on current law and code,” said Winters. “The Board has not taken a position on AI glasses.

MORE | Utah State Legislature:

Some districts across the country have reportedly put restrictions on the glasses in schools.

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“I think it should be up to the teachers,” said Briauna Later, another mother who is all for preventing cheating, but senses a ban could leave administrators with tired eyes.

“It’s one more thing for the administration to have to keep track of,” said Later.

The proposal, HB 42, passed the House and cleared a Senate committee on Wednesday.

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