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Douglas Lovell makes third appeal to Utah Supreme Court

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Douglas Lovell makes third appeal to Utah Supreme Court


SALT LAKE CITY – Douglas A. Lovell has twice been sentenced to die for abducting and murdering a South Ogden woman in August of 1985. On Friday, Lovell’s attorney told the Utah Supreme Court he deserves a third shot at sentencing.

It marked the fourth time over the last nearly 40 years that lawyers have argued in person before Utah’s highest court over issues in the case. The latest trip focused primarily on allegations of discussion of religious matters, such as Lovell’s excommunication from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and “infected” testimony during a 2015 trial.

Origins of the case against Doug Lovell

In April of 1985, Lovell followed a South Ogden woman named Joyce Yost home from a supper club in Clearfield. Lovell sexually assaulted Yost in her own driveway, abducted her, and assaulted her again at his own home. After several hours, Yost convinced Lovell to let her go free, promising not to report what he’d done to the police.

Once safely returned home, Yost called police. A Clearfield police detective arrested Lovell a short time later on suspicion of rape. The Davis County Attorney’s Office then filed felony charges against Lovell.

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Yost subsequently testified about the events at a preliminary hearing and the case was set for trial. Through a series of missteps, Lovell was allowed to leave custody in spite of a judge’s order demanding he be jailed pending the trial.

While out of jail, Lovell hired two different men to kill Yost on his behalf, in order to prevent her from testifying at the upcoming trial. Both of those would-be hitmen backed out, so on the night of Aug. 10, 1985, Lovell crept into Yost’s apartment through an unlocked window, slashed her with a knife and then allegedly took Yost into the mountains east of Ogden where he strangled her to death.

Yost’s disappearance caused alarm for her family and police, but it did not derail the criminal trial. A Davis County jury convicted Lovell on counts of aggravated sexual assault and aggravated kidnapping, even in Yost’s absence. A judge sentenced Lovell to the Utah State Prison on two terms of five years to life, with a mandatory minimum stay of 15 years.

Capital murder charge for the death of Joyce Yost

The South Ogden Police Department’s investigation into Yost’s disappearance stalled for several years, until Lovell’s ex-wife Rhonda Buttars confessed to a detective in 1991 that she’d helped Lovell destroy evidence after he killed Yost. The Weber County Attorney’s Office offered Buttars immunity from criminal charges if she, in exchange, cooperated as a witness.

Buttars twice carried a hidden audio recorder into the Utah State Prison and captured Lovell making confessions on tape. That evidence allowed the Weber County Attorney’s Office to file a first-degree felony capital murder charge against Lovell in May of 1992.

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Lovell’s defense attorney entered into plea negotiations with prosecutors later that year. By the summer of 1993, the two sides reached an agreement: Lovell would plead guilty and lead investigators to Yost’s body, and in exchange, prosecutors would recommend the judge sentence Lovell to life in prison without the chance for parole.

That July, Lovell repeatedly took detectives to a site along the Old Snowbasin Road near Pineview Reservoir and told them that’s where he’d buried Yost’s body. Weeks of searches there failed to turn up any sign of human remains. As a result, the plea agreement was invalidated and the judge sentenced Lovell to death.

Taking back Doug Lovell’s guilty plea

Lovell attempted to withdraw his guilty plea in the aftermath of the death verdict, but the trial court prevented him from doing so.

In his first direct appeal of the sentence, Lovell argued his defense attorney had been ineffective, due in part to a conflict of interest. The Utah Supreme Court ruled against him, affirming the death sentence in 1999.

Lovell then petitioned the high court again over the trial court’s denial of his effort to withdraw the guilty plea, arguing the trial court judge had failed to properly advise him of all the rights he waived by pleading guilty. The Supreme Court sent that matter back to the lower court for further hearings, which again led to a Second District Court judge denying Lovell’s motion to withdraw.

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Lovell appealed that decision and in 2011, the Utah Supreme Court agreed the sentencing judge had made a technical error that invalidated Lovell’s death sentence.

The Supreme Court sent Lovell’s case back to Utah’s Second District Court, where it was set for a trial. That trial took place in March of 2015.

Conceding guilt for killing Joyce Yost

Because of the strong evidence against Lovell, including his own prior admissions in court to Yost’s murder, the trial defense team conceded Lovell’s guilt before the jury.

Yost’s murder took place at a time before Utah law allowed for a sentence of life without parole. Because of that, Lovell was allowed to choose whether the jury would have the option of choosing life without parole at sentencing. He chose instead to be sentenced under the law as it existed in 1985, meaning the jurors were only allowed the choice of death or life with the possibility of parole.

Utah law requires juries in capital cases eligible for the death penalty to weigh “aggravating” and “mitigating” factors when deciding for or against death. In Lovell’s 2015 trial, the jury unanimously decided the aggravating factors presented by the prosecution outweighed the mitigation evidence supplied by the defense.

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Lovell lost his bid for a chance at parole, receiving a death sentence for the second time.

Doug Lovell’s current appeal

Lovell immediately filed a new appeal, focused on allegations his trial attorneys were ineffective. The appeal raised many specific issues, but chief among them were questions about whether witness testimony during the trial about religious matters might’ve prejudiced the jury.

During the sentencing phase of the 2015 trial, Lovell’s defense attorneys had called multiple former bishops for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who previously ministered to Lovell at the Utah State Prison. Each of those men had intended to speak to their opinions that Lovell was remorseful and deserved a chance for parole.

The testimony during the trial had at times veered into discussion of Latter-day Saint doctrine, Lovell’s excommunication from the church after Yost’s murder, and heavenly forgiveness. In her appeal, Lovell’s appellate attorney, Colleen Coebergh, argued the trial defense team failed to object to improper topics.

“Injecting, in front of a jury, religious topics, is a corrupt practice. It cannot be tolerated,” Coebergh said during oral arguments before the Utah Supreme Court Friday.

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Coebergh told the justices such discussion of religious doctrine during the trial improperly signaled to jurors they could make decisions based on factors beyond the factual evidence of the case. Some of the justices also pursued this line of thought when questioning Mark Field, an attorney for the Utah Attorney General’s Office.

“I’m talking about subtle influences,” Associate Chief Justice John Pearce said. “I’m talking about changing the way they view the evidence that Mr. Lovell was trying to put on about being a changed person.”

“Fair enough,” Field replied.

“I think you concede it was improper for the prosecution to inject this into the trial,” Pearce said.

“I do,” Field replied.

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However, Field argued that didn’t warrant sending Lovell’s case back for a new trial or sentencing.

“This particular testimony was a small fraction of the evidence that came in,” Field said. “Even assuming that counsel was deficient in not objecting at that point, I don’t think that there’s a reasonable likelihood that there would’ve been a different outcome but for that.”

Justice for Joyce Yost

There is no timeline for when the Supreme Court will issue a decision on Lovell’s latest appeal.

Lovell, 66, remains incarcerated at the Utah State Correctional Facility. Previous reporting by KSL revealed the Utah Department of Corrections has moved him out of maximum security under a program called Last Chance that rewards death row inmates for good behavior.

The murder of Joyce Yost, the search for her remains and the criminal case against Douglas Lovell are covered in detail in the KSL Podcasts series COLD season 2: Justice for Joyce.

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Utah

UVU getting involved in conference realignment

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UVU getting involved in conference realignment


Conference realignment has reared itself again in Utah. This time, it is Utah Valley University that is on the move.

The Big West Conference announced Wednesday morning that the Wolverines will officially join the conference in 2026-27, leaving behind the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). UVU will join the Big West as a full member. It is a reunion of sorts, as UVU was a member of the Big West from 1978 to 2005.

“We are thrilled to welcome Utah Valley University to The Big West,” Big West commissioner Dan Butterly said in a statement. “UVU brings a tradition of competitive excellence and a rapidly growing athletic program that aligns perfectly with our membership and vision for the future. Their addition expands our geographic footprint into a vibrant and strategically significant region, while elevating the level of competition across the board. We look forward to the energy and excitement the Wolverines will bring to The Big West.”

UVU, which sponsors 14 Division 1 sports, will compete in the Big West in:

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  • Baseball.
  • Men’s basketball.
  • Women’s basketball.
  • Men’s cross country.
  • Women’s cross country.
  • Men’s golf.
  • Women’s golf.
  • Men’s soccer.
  • Women’s soccer.
  • Softball.
  • Men’s track and field.
  • Women’s track & field.
  • Women’s volleyball.

Wrestling will continue to be a part of the Big 12 conference.

“Utah Valley University is proud to be part of The Big West. This marks an important milestone for the university, our 47,000 students, 125,000 alumni, and nearly 400 student-athletes,” UVU president Dr. Astrid S. Tuminez said in a statement “We look forward to competing and growing in a new and dynamic environment, and learning from our peers in The Big West.”

Added UVU athletic director Dr. Jared Sumsion: “The Big West is an outstanding conference with a proud history of success at the highest levels of Division I competition. We are excited to take on this new challenge and appreciate The Big West’s confidence in our university and athletic program.”

The addition of UVU brings Big West membership up to 11. UVU rejoining the league can be traced back directly to the decisions of Texas and Oklahoma to leave the Big 12 for the SEC.

Here’s the turn of the events that led to UVU’s return to the Big West:

  • Texas and Oklahoma leave the Big 12 for the SEC.
  • USC and UCLA leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten.
  • BYU, Cincinnati, Houston and UCF join the Big 12 (the latter three defecting from the American Athletic Conference).
  • Oregon and Washington leave the Pac-12 and join the Big Ten.
  • Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah leave the Pac-12 and join the Big 12.
  • Cal and Stanford leave the Pac-12 and join the ACC.
  • Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State announce that they are leaving the Mountain West Conference to remake the Pac-12 alongside Oregon State and Washington State.
  • The Mountain West adds Hawaii and UC-Davis (previously Big West Conference schools) as full-time members in wake of defections to the Pac-12.
  • UVU joins the Big West.
Washington County native Carston Herman delivers a pitch during Utah Valley University’s 2025 baseball season. | Utah Valley University



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Utah Jazz May Target Cooper Flagg’s Duke Teammate

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Utah Jazz May Target Cooper Flagg’s Duke Teammate


Following a full tank to secure the best odds in the NBA Draft Lottery, the Utah Jazz still ended up with the fifth overall pick.

Despite finishing with only 17 wins, which was the lowest in the NBA, the Jazz still fell short of the first overall pick. The league changed the lottery system in 2019, and ever since then, the worst regular season team has failed to win the lottery.

Regardless, the Jazz hold a top-5 pick and an opportunity to bring in elite talent to a roster that desperately needs it. Utah was banking on winning the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes all season, but they may have to fixate on one of Flagg’s teammates instead.

A new report from NBA draft analyst Krysten Peek for Hoops HQ suggests the Jazz, along with the Charlotte Hornets, are interested in Kon Knueppel with their first-round pick.

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“Teams like the Utah Jazz (No. 5) and Charlotte Hornets (No. 4) are showing interest in the versatile guard (Kon Knueppel) and like his ability to seamlessly slide in alongside a star, ball-dominant player like Cooper Flagg and still find ways to positively impact the game,” Peek wrote.

Knueppel was a sharpshooter at Duke and connected on 40.6% of his tries from three-point land in his freshman season. In 39 games started, Knueppel averaged 14.4 points, four rebounds, 2.7 assists, and one steal.

Standing at 6-foot-7, Knueppel has the height to translate to the professional level as a shooting guard. He showed out in the biggest moments and averaged an insane 55.6% from three in the NCAA tournament in March.

As of now, the Jazz are employing Collin Sexton as the go-to shooting guard. If they want to bring in a better shooter, Knueppel could be the answer if the Hornets pass on him.

As Peek mentioned in her report, the Jazz are interested in how Knueppel played alongside a star player in Flagg. If the Jazz want to complement Lauri Markkanen with another offensive threat, Knueppel would 100% be the guy for the job.

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Markkanen has been involved in plenty of trade rumors over the past few years, but he signed a long-term deal to stay in Utah last summer. Drafting Knueppel might convince Markkanen that the team is headed in the right direction and keep him planted in Salt Lake City for a few more years.

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Man dies after falling off train headed to Utah, deputies say

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Man dies after falling off train headed to Utah, deputies say


ELKO, Nev. — A Louisiana man who jumped onto a train heading to Utah died after falling off it early Monday, Nevada authorities say.

About 4:35 a.m., Elko Central Dispatch answered a call from a woman who stated she feared her friend had fallen off the train, according to Elko County’s Sheriff’s Office.

The woman informed emergency responders that she and her friend, identified as James “Ivy” Woods, 24, from Shreveport, Louisiana, had jumped illegally onto a train near Elko, according to the sheriff’s office. She told deputies that she fell asleep shortly after jumping onto the train. When she awoke, she did not see Woods and called the police.

Sheriff’s deputies and Union Pacific Railroad staff began searching the area where someone may have fallen off the train. A Union Pacific Railroad employee found Woods’ body near Wells, a little more than 45 miles northeast of Elko, about two hours after the initial call.

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Authorities say it appeared that Woods was hit by the train as he fell off, sustaining fatal injuries. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused him to fall off the train.



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