Latest news with #SaltLakeCountyDistrictAttorney'sOffice
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Two 18-year-olds charged for robbery that ended with shooting death in Kearns High School parking lot
Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. KEARNS, Utah () — The two 18-year-olds in the Kearns High School parking lot that left a 17-year-old dead have been charged. Brandon Ray Hollins, 18, was arrested days after the shooting and faced a murder charge. However, now that charges have officially been filed, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office did not charge him with murder. He is instead charged with two counts of felony aggravated robbery, one count of felony discharge of a firearm with serious bodily injury, and one count of capital felony obstruction of justice. Tesfaye Mebratu Shabi, 18, was also initially arrested on a murder and aggravated robbery charge. The DA also declined to file a murder charge against Shabi. He has been charged with two counts of felony aggravated robbery, one count of capital felony obstruction of justice, and one count of felony discharge of a firearm. The Unified Police Department previously told ABC4 that the adult man who fatally shot the 17-year-old victim did so in self-defense and will not be facing any charges connected to his death. PREVIOUSLY: Teen arrested for murder at Kearns High School parking lot According to documents, police involvement began one month earlier than . On April 16, 2025, officers were called to Granite Credit Union in Millcreek on reports of shots fired. Shell casings were located nearby. Later that night, a then 17-year-old — a different 17-year-old than the one later killed in the shooting at the high school, who we will refer to as a survivor for clarity — was taken to St. Marks Hospital and appeared to be dropped off by two strangers in a white van. The officer who watched surveillance video saw him crawl out of the sedan and onto the ground, and he had a 'gunshot wound to his left leg.' The 17-year-old survivor told police that he and his friends, Hollins and Shabi, had used Snapchat to meet up with another group at the Granite Credit Union and buy 'cannabis vape carts' from them. He told police things 'escalated,' and that Hollins was the one to drive him to the hospital. The group selling the carts told police that when one of them exited the vehicle to meet with Hollins and his group, someone popped up at the car window with a gun and demanded that they empty their pockets. They got back in the car and fled the parking lot, hearing a gunshot after them. Surveillance video showed that struggle happened in the parking lot, and a flash of a gunshot is seen, which struck the 17-year-old survivor in the leg. He would later tell police that only Hollins had a gun at the altercation, and he was shot during a struggle after someone from the other group tried to wrestle it out of Hollins' hands. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 17-year-old killed in shooting at Kearns High School During an interview after the deadly May 18 shooting, the 17-year-old survivor told police that another 17-year-old — who we will refer to as the victim for clarity — came to pick him up with Hollins and Shabi. The group were talking about going to a party and were driving around in a gray Honda Accord late Saturday or early Sunday night. Hollins was driving with Shabi in the passenger seat, and the two 17-year-olds were in the backseat. He told police that the 17-year-old victim wanted to 'cop some bottles,' meaning purchase alcohol, and they went to the Kearns High School parking lot to meet up with someone. The 17-year-old survivor said he wasn't aware of what they were doing, but that 'they' put on their ski masks and got out of the vehicle; he and Hollins stayed in the car. Surveillance video from the parking lot showed a gold Malibu enter the parking lot, and a short time later, a gray sedan arrived. An adult exited the Malibu and opened the trunk. Two individuals could then be seen rushing out of the gray sedan and rushing toward the Malibu driver. Detectives say they saw a scuffle, and then one individual running away while firing. Syracuse police release photo of assault suspect, provide update According to documents, detectives saw the driver of the gray sedan exit and appear to 'touch or take things from [the victim] on the ground.' Then, the three occupants of the vehicle sped away from the parking lot, leaving the 17-year-old victim behind. The Unified Police Department was called to the scene of the shooting. Officers say that they located the 17-year-old victim upon arrival, lying near the Malibu with a single gunshot wound to his chest. He was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Another officer, who was driving to the school to respond, noticed a man running in a crosswalk near the high school. The man, later identified as the adult who shot the 17-year-old, flagged the officer down. He told police, 'He tried to rob me with a big *** AR, and I shot his ***!' The adult man told police that he had discarded his gun on the side of the road. According to him, he had been contacted on Instagram to meet someone at Kearns High School and sell them bottles of champagne. When he arrived, he opened the trunk and waited for the other party to arrive. Man who allegedly held Millcreek family hostage for months charged with 13 felonies According to him, the adult man knew it was a robbery when he saw them exit the vehicle with ski masks. He closed his trunk, but he felt a handgun against the right side of his head. He heard one of them say, 'Give it up, we gonna kill you.' The adult man said he then started shooting and running away. As he was running away, the adult man said he heard someone shout 'ah' but he continued running and hid in a backyard across the street and up the hill. When he finally left his hiding spot, he flagged down the police officer. He told police that he believed the men were going to kill him, so he shot. The Unified Police Department used surveillance footage to find the three individuals with the 17-year-old victim that night. During an interview with the 17-year-old survivor, he told police that the 17-year-old victim had an AR pistol, and Shabi had a 'glock.' Kearns man charged with alleged kidnapping and sexual assault of 16-year-old girl He told police that Shabi had taken the handgun and hidden it in his bedroom air vent. Police located a Taurus handgun consistent with a bullet hole found on the gold Malibu during a search on his residence. A search of Hollins' residence located the gray sedan with damage consistent with the vehicle's appearance on surveillance footage. They also found a bullet hole on the front side of the sedan and an AR pistol in Hollins' bedroom. Hollins and Shabi are both being held at the Salt Lake County Metro Jail without bail. Their initial appearances are set for June 3. Two 18-year-olds charged for robbery that ended with shooting death in Kearns High School parking lot Several states call for tighter restrictions on SNAP benefits Salt Lake Co. crews conduct 4 rescues over Memorial Day weekend 'M*A*S*H' actress Loretta Swit dies at 87 President Trump gives Elon Musk an Oval Office send-off Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers left sexual assault programs out of the budget, forcing service providers to fundraise
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill speaks to reporters about Sexual Assault Awareness Month at his office in Salt Lake City on Thursday, April 17, 2025. (Kyle Dunphey/Utah News Dispatch) Utah has rates of sexual violence that often trump the national average — according to the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office, 1 in 3 Utah women will experience sexual violence, compared to 1 in 5 women nationally. Yet this year, the state's service providers are forced to fundraise and solicit federal money, which is increasingly short supply, after lawmakers snubbed the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault's request for funding that would have gone to the state's rape crisis programs. According to the request, the money was intended to provide 'meaningful sexual prevention work,' like education and training. 'Prevention education works. It can change the way individuals think. It can change the way communities interact. It changes relationships. It is the least funded source of service for victims in the state of Utah,' said Gary Scheller, associate director of the Rape Recovery Center. The coalition asked lawmakers for almost $3.3 million — the Legislature's Social Services Appropriations Committee recommended just over $1.6 million. But ultimately, funding for the coalition was not included in the final budget. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Now, with April being Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Scheller's nonprofit, which provides advocacy for victims, clinical therapy, education and training, will be forced to fundraise and look to the federal government to fill the void. Lawmakers said it was a tight budget year, and a number of programs never received funding. Still, some of the programs funded by the state's nearly $30 billion budget include $40 million in annual funds for the Utah Fits All Scholarship voucher program, $20 million in one-time funding for the state's first-time home buyer program, and dozens of other programs and allocations that cost far more than what the Coalition Against Sexual Assault was asking for. 'What I would like to say really loudly to our state Legislature is, what you fund reflects your priorities,' Scheller said on Thursday during an event at the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office marking Sexual Assault Awareness Month. 'So when we see millions going here and millions going there and this being cut and that being cut, that is equivalent to the state Legislature saying, these are our priorities, these not so much.' The Utah Domestic Violence Coalition is in a similar boat, after their request for $200,000 in annual funds was also left out of the state's budget. The money would have allowed police departments around the state to continue to administer a critical health care service for victims of domestic violence while bolstering investigations. Legislature snubs funding for domestic violence health care service, forcing nonprofit to fundraise Scheller said the lack of state funds will have a 'significant' impact to the Rape Recovery Center. The center, and other sexual assault support programs, have been sharing a $600,000 allocation from the state spread out over three years — for the Rape Recovery Center, that's about $15,000 to $20,000 each year, according to Scheller. Now that the Legislature snubbed their request this year, Scheller said education and prevention programs, which are already underfunded, will continue to be spread thin. 'These prevention and education programs, with state school board approved curriculum, where we can get into schools and talk to students about consent and healthy relationships — those will be greatly minimized. So now we're going to go looking for other ways to continue to do that,' Scheller said. Sex crimes continue to be an issue in Utah. According to Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, 88 out of 100 women who are sexually assaulted in Utah will choose not to come forward. Of the 12 that do report the crime, six will likely be re-victimized 'though the way that we respond to them,' Gill said. 'Because we're not trauma informed, because we're not victim centered.' Data from Gill's office shows the extent of sexual violence in the county, which fluctuates year to year. The office filed 81 rape charges in 2023, compared to 89 in 2024; 51 object rape charges in 2023, compared to 54 in 2024; 22 rape of a child charges in 2023, compared to 10 in 2024; 104 sex battery charges in 2024, compared to 72 in 2024; 100 lewdness charges in 2023, compared to 90 in 2024; 35 sodomy of a child charges in 2023, compared to 26 in 2024; and 20 aggravated sexual assault charges in 2023, compared to 15 in 2024. 'I hope this encourages our policymakers to know that they need to fully fund our institutional partners and our community partners,' Gill said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
Report: Law enforcement saw thousands of cases of child abuse in 2024
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill speaks to reporters during a news conference in Salt Lake City on Thursday, April 3, 2025. Next to him is a picture of child abuse victim Norlin Cruz. (Credit: Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office) In 2024, the Utah Division of Child and Family Services confirmed thousands of cases of child abuse around the state. That's according to a report from the division, highlighted Thursday by Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill, whose office is sharing resources and trying to increase awareness for Child Abuse Awareness Month this April. Child Abuse Prevention Contacts Emergency: 911 Prevent Child Abuse Utah: (801) 393-3366 Utah Child Abuse Prevention Hotline: 855-323-3237 The Family Support Center: 801-955-3110 Children's Justice Center: 801-851-8554 Childhelp: (1-800) 4-A-Child or (1-800) 422-4453 (Local Chapters in Utah) Intermountain's Center for Safe and Healthy Families: 801-662-1000 The Children's Center Utah: 801-582-5534 According to data from the division, there were at least 8,791 confirmed victims of child abuse and neglect during the 2024 fiscal year, stemming from nearly 50,000 reports. Of those reports, about 22,650 met the criteria for a Child Protective Services investigation. At least 70% of the perpetrators were the victim's parents, and an additional 16% were other relatives. 'Child abuse sees no economic nor political boundaries. It is a global problem that can only be addressed with community-level solutions,' Gill said in a statement Thursday. In 2024 alone, Gill's office filed 276 physical child abuse-related charges and 135 child sex abuse-related charges. Still, Gill said child abuse is often one of the most unreported crimes. Lawmakers passed a handful of bills this year aimed at prosecuting cases of child abuse, with bills increasing the penalties or widening the scope of current crimes to give prosecutors more tools. Lawmakers passed dozens of bills that add, increase, or enhance criminal penalties. Here's a list. That includes a bill that makes it easier to prosecute abuse that happens online, a bill that adds an aggravating factor if the child abuse is part of a ritual or religious ceremony, and a bill to increase the penalty for the most egregious cases, now defined as 'child torture.' That last bill, SB24, targets 'exceptionally cruel or exceptionally depraved' behavior that results in physical or psychological pain. If found guilty, the perpetrator could be charged with a third-degree felony punishable by a 10-year minimum sentence. The legislation was, in part, a result of the case of Norlin Cruz, a 6-year-old boy killed in 2019 after being subjected to what investigators said was the worst case of child abuse they'd ever seen. Cruz's mother, Reyna Elizabeth Flores-Rosales, was convicted of reckless child abuse homicide, a first-degree felony, and three counts of second-degree felony child abuse. SB24, Gill's office said in a news release, 'came about as our office prosecuted the mother of Norlin Cruz.' Gill on Thursday spoke to reporters alongside a picture of Cruz, who he often refers to when talking about prosecuting crimes against children. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Utah House committee shoots down bill penalizing unsafe storage of firearms
Utah lawmakers voted for the third straight year against a Democrat-led bill addressing the safe storage of firearms on Friday. A proposal to hold adults accountable in some circumstances if they fail to lock up a firearm used by a minor to commit a crime was shot down. Rep. Andrew Stoddard, D-Sandy, has proposed similar bills in previous years, though his latest attempt has been watered down from what he previously pushed. In 2023, he ran a bill that would have required firearm owners to securely store weapons when they were not being used and imposed a fine for those who failed to comply. After that failed to clear an initial vote, he proposed the same legislation last year, with the same result. Stoddard changed his approach during the 2025 legislative session and sponsored HB132, which creates a class C misdemeanor charge for adults who don't secure a firearm — but only if a minor uses it to commit a crime. The bill has carve-outs that protect a firearm owner if the minor obtains the firearm by unlawfully accessing the storage area, if it is used in self-defense or if the person reports to police that a minor obtained their firearm. It also allows owners an affirmative defense to prosecution if they 'took reasonable precautions to ensure that the firearm was properly secured and not accessible to a minor.' 'This statute is really the lowest level we can go,' Stoddard told the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee Friday. He said it's unlikely the statute would be used often, but said it's a necessary accountability tool in cases where kids take a parent's gun to school or use it to commit other crimes. 'If we're not willing to support this low level of firearm responsibility, we just have to say, 'OK, we're fine with these kids committing these crimes with the firearms,'' he added. State law already has a section that says parents can be held accountable if they give their child a firearm, but Stoddard said a different section provides an exception and makes it difficult to charge under the statute. The bill was supported by the Utah Parent Teacher Association and the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office. Brett Robinson, a senior attorney in the office, said gang crimes are often committed by minors who obtained a firearm from a parent or guardian. 'It's better for us to respond to these crimes at a lower level and make sure we have that responsible gun ownership in the homes,' he said. 'A lot of the times they're getting these guns from home and I think this is an appropriate way to address that and perhaps cut down on the more serious crimes that we are asked to look into.' The bill was opposed by the Utah Shooting Sports Council, a gun rights organization, which argued that the existing code already addresses the issue and further legislation is unnecessary. HB132 ultimately failed after a 4-4 vote. Two Republicans — Reps. Melissa Ballard, R-North Salt Lake, and Lisa Shepherd, R-Provo — joined Stoddard and Rep. Sandra Hollins, D-Salt Lake City, in favoring the bill. Three members of the committee — all Republicans — were absent. The full House of Representatives voted to approve another firearm safety bill later Friday. HB104 requires that schools provide firearm safety instruction to students, which the sponsor said will reduce the number of accidental shootings. Three such shootings occurred during a several-week span last summer resulting in the deaths of two children, aged 5 and 8. 'It's important that these kids that don't have firearms in their homes — realistically this ought to be taught by their parents — but a lot of times when they don't have any firearms in their homes or do any hunting or shooting, these kids are not taught what to do when they come in contact with a firearm,' said Rep. Rex Shipp, R-Cedar City. He said the school instruction could take 'five or 10 minutes' and could be done by video or other similar means. The bill requires two firearm safety trainings per year for elementary school students and one for middle and high schoolers.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Kids are getting propositioned in virtual reality, and right now it's legal
In Utah, it is a felony for an adult to reach out to a minor via text to meet up for sexual relations. But if the adult propositions a minor in virtual reality, that isn't illegal. 'Many mistakenly believe that because something happens in the digital space, it isn't real or harmful, but for a child, these experiences are psychologically damaging,' Rep. Verona Mauga, D-Salt Lake County, said Thursday during the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee meeting. So far in this year's legislative session, bills regarding crimes against children appear to be highly unifying issues across party lines. Mauga's bill, HB358, was no exception. Passed with favorable recommendation by the committee, HB358 creates the following criminal offenses: Using virtual reality to participate in sexual activity with a child. Requesting sexually explicit conduct from an individual who is in custody. Mauga said the bill 'targets offenders hiding behind avatars' and 'makes it clear that virtual reality is not a loophole for predators, and it ensures real consequences for virtual crimes if an adult is knowingly using VR technology to engage in sexual activities with a child.' Because it is not always clear what age a person is when participating in VR, Mauga clarified that the bill applies to people who 'knowingly' engage in sexual acts with a minor. Brett Robinson, senior attorney in the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office, who spoke on the bill, shared a case where he had to seek a warrant for a Snapchat account. In this case, Robinson said a mother had found her 11-year-old daughter who had fallen asleep with her VR headset on. When she went to lift the headset off her daughter, she found messages sent to her daughter via Snapchat by an adult. The messages were along the lines of wanting the little girl to return to VR so they could participate in sexual relations again. Robinson said it was a 'friend of a friend' whom the girl had never met in person. He also spoke on the second criminal offense included in the bill. Robinson said that requesting sexually explicit conduct from an individual who is in custody was included in the bill because of a separate but similar situation where, under a technicality, it wasn't illegal. 'These are two ways where the laws don't protect the ways that people will use technology to harm vulnerable people.' According to a study that came out last year by Florida Atlantic University, significant numbers of minors have reported experiencing various forms of harassment while in virtual spaces. The study examined 5,005 13 to 17-year-old kids from the United States and found the following statistics: Nearly 19% encountered sexual harassment. Around 21% faced undesirable violent or sexual content. 18.1% encountered grooming or predatory conduct. 30% were targeted for characteristics including weight, sexual preference, sexual orientation or political affiliation. Girls were reportedly targeted more in terms of sexual harassment and grooming/predatory behavior. 'Right here in our state, in Utah and across the country, we are seeing adults engaging in cyber sex with children using virtual reality, and there is no legal mechanism to protect our children,' Mauga said. 'I think it would be prudent of us to do what we can to protect them.'
