Utah
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Utah
4 Prospects the Utah Jazz Could Trade Up to Draft in the Second Round
After landing Darryn Peterson at the top of Tuesday night’s first round, the Utah Jazz are heading into day two of the 2026 NBA Draft without a second round at their disposal.
However, with a front office like the one that’s in Utah, it’d be hard to truly count out the Jazz from making a trade throughout the night to jump into the second round, in the event there was a prospect the Ainges had a certain appeal for.
While most of the big names of this class have already been scooped up in the first 30 picks, there’s certainly a few both interesting and potentially valuable names to keep an eye on through the next 30.
And for the Jazz, a few of them could fit their current lineup or some specific needs well enough that would make sense to get back on the clock once again.
Let’s take a look at four prospects still left up for grabs on day two of the draft that could be a worthwhile pickup for the Jazz to consider trading up for.
Dillon Mitchell | F, St. Johns
An athletic forward fresh off of a season under Rick Pitino at St. John’s, trading up to add another D-Mitchell to Utah’s draft history might not be the worst idea here.
Offensively, he won’t bring a ton to the table, as he only averaged 8.3 points a night during his senior season and shot a rough 6.7% from three. What he does do is check a ton of boxes in terms of size at 6-foot-8, 210 pounds, as well as his abilities as a defender, rebounder, and energy guy enough to warrant a look at the top half of the second round.
For the Jazz, perhaps they’d like to land on a more dynamic fit on both ends than Mitchell. But he sure would bring a nice spark on the defensive end that Utah could utilize after multiple lackluster years of production on that end of the floor.
Richie Saunders | G, BYU
A local product who spent four years with Brigham Young, Saunders might not fit exactly the type of mold on the defensive end that Utah could really covet here in the second round.
However, he does project to be a pretty seamless connecting wing with solid NBA size standing at 6-foot-5, has a strong outside shooting ability with a 38.7% clip from deep from his career, and should be able to at least hold his own on the other end.
He’d be a nice fit in Will Hardy’s system, and have a solid pro career as role player in the wing.
Trevon Brazile | F, Arkansas
If you’re looking for a lengthy, two-way impact player that could fit with the current standout size in this Jazz frontcourt, Brazile would be a perfect fit to bring in that would do just that.
He’s got great length standing at 6-foot-10, can be an ample shot blocker, is a threat at the rim who can finish well, stretches the floor, and on paper, looks like the type of piece in the frontcourt that many front offices around the league would love to get their hands on.
However, he has seen several questions regarding his lighter frame at 225 pounds, and has shown a lack of physicality and a real motor from his time at Arkansas. That same reason is why many GMs might turn away from taking a flier on him.
Jaden Bradley | G, Arizona
For the guards that are up for grabs in this range, Bradley has some of the best traits in terms of size at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, and has the chance to be an impactful player on both ends of the floor as a solid playmaker and perimeter defender.
He wasn’t a high-volume scorer during his three years at Arizona, but he was efficient in his opportunities, shooting over 46% from the field and 39% from three on over nine shots a game. He could be a worthwhile dart throw to bring in for the back-end of the roster.
Another note that could make him a fun target for the Jazz: Bradley and Keyonte George are tight-knit from their days as teammates back at IMG Academy. So he’d be a pretty awesome fit into the locker room on top of the impact he offers on the floor.
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Utah
‘Now’s our time’: Utah Jazz fans rejoice as Darryn Peterson gives them something they’ve been missing
The rookie guard is already dreaming of a championship in Utah.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Jazz fans celebrate as the Utah Jazz pick Darryn Peterson in the 2026 NBA Draft during a watch party at The Shops at South Town in Sandy, on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
Utah
Utah mother charged with international kidnapping claims she was saving kids from ‘end of times’
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah mother, who believed she was saving her kids from “the end of times,” is facing federal kidnapping charges after she fled to Croatia with her four children.
Elleshia Anne Seymour, 35, of West Jordan, is accused of traveling to Europe with her four children without court approval or permission from the fathers of the children. On Jan. 28, she was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of international parental kidnapping and passport fraud. She made her initial federal court appearance Monday.
West Jordan police started urgently searching for the four kids in December after Kendall Seymour — father to the three oldest children — realized something was wrong when they didn’t show up to daycare. He had last seen the children a week prior when he dropped them off at school the week of Thanksgiving, which was the start of the mother’s scheduled custody time.
“Seymour did not notify the father of her intent to travel internationally with the children as required by the custody order,” federal prosecutors said.
The father told police he believed Seymour may have taken the children out of the country and forged his signature on the passport applications because he found passport-related envelopes in the trash at her apartment and other evidence that indicated she had left the country.
Elleshia Seymour was charged in 3rd District Court on Dec. 16 with four counts of custodial interference, a third-degree felony. A warrant was issued for her arrest as, according to charging documents, she “recently discussed obtaining passports and leaving the country, expressing concerns about biblical events and the ‘end of times’” with her ex-boyfriend.
Investigators located surveillance footage at the Salt Lake airport showing Seymour and the kids boarding a one-way flight to Croatia with a layover in Amsterdam. In a voicemail to her other ex-husband — the father of the youngest child — she claimed she was in France looking for a permanent residence.
“Seymour reminded him she had to get the children out of the country because the ‘end time is coming.’ Seymour allegedly told her ex-husband and father of the fourth child she wanted him to join them and asked him not to let the three children’s father know where she was,” federal prosecutors said.
Kendall Seymour said he was initially unaware of any of these beliefs and was concerned “she’s not in the right mind.” While there were no signs of the “doomsday” beliefs when they were married, he found a TikTok account where she was posting increasingly extreme religious messages.
With posts titled “Urgent Word,” “Brace Yourself,” “Zombies,” and “US Decimated,” she spoke of darkness consuming America, urged followers to “get provisions,” and warned that Salt Lake City would soon be destroyed. Police said witnesses they spoke to indicated Seymour had “previously suffered from emotional breakdowns and hallucinations.”
On Jan. 16, Seymour was arrested by Croatian authorities. The children were found in a state-run Croatian orphanage.
“It sounds like she met this other American citizen in Croatia under the pretense that she was bringing the kids here legally,” Kendall Seymour said. Once the American citizen living in Croatia heard the news about the children, the police were called, and their mother was taken into custody by Croatian authorities, the father said.
He was then contacted by Croatian police, who were holding the kids in a children’s home in the country. Croatian police at first would not release his children until documentation from the U.S. had been checked and rechecked. He stayed in the country for eight days trying to get them released.
On Feb. 1, he announced on a GoFundMe* that he and the four children were on their way home.
Seymour was extradited to Utah from Croatia on June 12 and was booked into the Davis County Jail. She has a detention hearing scheduled next week in federal court and an initial appearance for the state charges on July 13.
“The safe return of the children remains our highest priority. We are deeply grateful to our federal and international partners for their tireless efforts in bringing about this successful outcome,” said U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak for the District of Utah. “Our work is not finished — we will continue to pursue justice in the case against Seymour.”
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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