Utah
Utah Woman Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter After Fatally Shooting Friend amid Botched Suicide Pact
The 21-year-old victim, Brooklyn Barrett, was remembered by loved ones as a “vibrant and promising young woman”
Amy Mills/GoFundMe
Brooklyn Barrett
A Utah woman accused of murdering her friend in a botched suicide pact earlier this year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter, authorities confirmed.
Heavenly Faith Garfield pleaded guilty to manslaughter, a second-degree felony, on Tuesday, Sept. 24 and will be sentenced on Nov. 6, Timothy L. Taylor, Deputy Utah County Attorney, said in an emailed statement to PEOPLE on Friday, Sept. 27. She faces up to 15 years in prison, per the statement.
Garfield was arrested in April and charged with murder and felony discharge of a firearm after the shooting death of her 21-year-old friend, who was identified by family on a GoFundMe campaign and obituary as Brooklyn Michelle Barrett.
21-Year-Old Utah Woman Arrested on Murder Charge After Shooting Friend Dead amid Suicide Pact
On April 30, Garfield’s father called 911 to report the shooting, in which authorities said his daughter shot the victim in a Saratoga Springs, Utah, home, per an affidavit of probable cause cited by KUTV, the Associated Press and CBS News.
Officers who responded to the scene said the victim had a gunshot wound to the head and that her body had been covered with a blanket and there were flowers on a bed, Court TV reported.
courttv Heavenly Faith Garfield
“Investigators determined that Garfield and [her] friend had entered into a suicide pact and Garfield admitted to shooting [her] friend in the head,” Taylor said in the statement to PEOPLE. “After shooting [her] friend, Garfield did not go through with the suicide pact.”
According to the affidavit, the friends had reportedly been discussing the suicide pact for several weeks, family members said, the AP reported. The affidavit states a friend of the victim showed police text messages in which she said she wanted to die, but was too scared to kill herself. The friend also confirmed Garfield’s suicide pact with the victim to police, per the AP.
As part of her plea, Taylor said Garfield admitted to the following facts: “On or about April 30, 2024, in Utah County, Utah, I knew [friend] intended to end her life by suicide and I aided [friend] to commit suicide.”
Barrett was remembered on the GoFundMe campaign created to support her parents in the wake of her death as a “vibrant and promising young woman.”
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“Her unexpected departure has left her loved ones grappling with the immense pain and burden, preferring to focus on honoring her memory and celebrating the beautiful life she lived,” the fundraiser continued.
According to her obituary, Barrett was a 2021 graduate of Herriman High School and worked at a daycare prior to her death. She also enjoyed traveling and spending time outdoors, the obituary states.
Taylor said the victim’s family “supported the resolution.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
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Read the original article on People.
KANOSH, Utah — The United States Geological Survey recorded multiple earthquakes near Kanosh Sunday morning, each of them having an average magnitude of 3.0.
The first earthquake, magnitude 3.0, was detected just after 12:30 a.m., with the epicenter located half a mile south of Kanarraville.
The second quake, magnitude 3.2, was detected around 5:45 a.m., with the epicenter nearly five miles south-southwest of Kanosh. This was followed by two more quakes in the same area, a magnitude 2.5 quake coming in around 6:35 a.m., followed by a third around 7:45 a.m, which measured at magnitude 3.3.
This has since been followed by another quake, measuring at magnitude 3.7, being detected around 8:45 a.m. The geographic location in the USGS report places the epicenter approximately over two miles south of the Dry Wash Trail, about six miles south-southwest of Kanosh.
FOX 13 News previously spoke with researchers at University of Utah, who said that earthquake swarms are relatively common. A study published in 2023 posits that swarms may be triggered by geothermal activity. The findings came after a series of seismic swarms were detected in central Utah, within the vicinity of three geothermal power plants.
The study also says that the swarms fall into a different category than aftershocks that typically follow large quakes, such as the magnitude 5.7 earthquake that hit the Wasatch Fault back in 2020.
Utah
Embattled Utah Rep. Trevor Lee loses county GOP convention — but wins enough support to make primary
Earlier in the week, House Speaker Mike Schultz said lawmakers asked the attorney general to investigate allegations of fraud and bribery against Lee.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Rep. Trevor Lee, R-Layton, running for reelection, addresses delegates during the Davis County Republican Party nominating convention at Syracuse High School on Saturday, April 18, 2026.
Also from Utah Eats: A Utah baker ends his run on a Food Network competition; Lucky Slice’s territory grows.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Yeti, a Himalayan-themed bar in Cottonwood Heights, is pictured on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
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