Utah man pleads guilty to killing mother, 3 siblings

Jul 19, 2022, 11:11 AM | Updated: 7:03 pm
FILE - Caprice Cortez, Faith Goodsell, Autumn Barton and Mykaylla Darrow, all teammates on the Gran...

FILE - Caprice Cortez, Faith Goodsell, Autumn Barton and Mykaylla Darrow, all teammates on the Grantsville High School girls soccer team that Alexis Haynie played on, stand together at a candlelight vigil for the Haynie family at City Park in Grantsville, Utah, on Jan. 20, 2020. Colin "CJ" Haynie pleaded guilty Tuesday, July 19, 2022, to killing his mother and three siblings when he was a teenager in 2020. (Spenser Heaps/The Deseret News via AP, File)

(Spenser Heaps/The Deseret News via AP, File)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah man pleaded guilty Tuesday to fatally shooting his mother and three siblings when he was a teenager in 2020.

Colin “CJ” Haynie, who is now 19 and goes by his middle name of Jeffery, killed his mother and one of his sisters as they returned from her school pickup, then waited for two more siblings to arrive home and killed them, prosecutors said.

His father came back to the home later that evening and was shot in the leg but survived after wrestling the gun away from his son.

After the father subdued him, the then-16-year-old said that he had planned to kill everyone in his family at their home in the small town of Grantsville, near Salt Lake City, authorities said.

Authorities have said they don’t know his motive.

Jeffery Haynie pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated murder and one count of attempted murder on Tuesday. Several other weapons charges were dismissed in the plea agreement, court documents show.

He had been charged as an adult by prosecutors because of the seriousness of the Jan. 17, 2020, crime.

His attorney, Richard Van Wagoner, said in a statement that prosecutors agreed to let his client stay in the juvenile justice system until he is 25 under a new law that went into effect this year in Utah. That will enable Jeffery Haynie to get access to education and mental health programs designed for younger people.

“Jeffery has wanted to accept responsibility,” Van Wagoner said. “Jeffery was a troubled teen and lacked certain abilities and resources.”

The victims were his mother, Consuelo Alejandra Haynie, 52; his sisters Milan and Alexis, ages 12 and 15; and his 14-year-old brother Matthew.

The family’s oldest child, Danny Haynie, was not home at the time of the shootings. At a funeral for the family members in 2020 at their local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ congregation, Danny Haynie said that CJ Haynes was still loved and part of the family.

Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 7. Aggravated murder in Utah typically carries the possibility of the death penalty, but state prosecutors cannot seek it for people convicted of crimes that happened when they were under 18 even if their cases are moved to adult court.

So Haynie faces a prison sentence of 25 years to life for each aggravated murder conviction under state law.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


              FILE - The caskets for Consuelo Alejandra Haynie, daughters 12-year-old Milan and 15-year-old Alexis, and 14-year-old son Matthew are carried following their funeral services on Jan. 24, 2020, in Grantsville, Utah. Colin "CJ" Haynie pleaded guilty Tuesday, July 19, 2022, to killing his mother and three siblings when he was a teenager in 2020.  (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
            
              FILE - Caprice Cortez, Faith Goodsell, Autumn Barton and Mykaylla Darrow, all teammates on the Grantsville High School girls soccer team that Alexis Haynie played on, stand together at a candlelight vigil for the Haynie family at City Park in Grantsville, Utah, on Jan. 20, 2020. Colin "CJ" Haynie pleaded guilty Tuesday, July 19, 2022, to killing his mother and three siblings when he was a teenager in 2020. (Spenser Heaps/The Deseret News via AP, File)

AP

FILE - Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer speaks inside the Recorders Office, Nov. 9, 2022, in...
Associated Press

Dominion conspiracies highlighted by Fox lawsuit have election officials concerned for safety

Maricopa County officials are bracing for what could happen when it comes time to replace its contract for voting equipment.
2 days ago
A building is damaged and trees are down after severe storm swept through Little Rock, Ark., Friday...
Associated Press

Tornado causes widespread damage to buildings, vehicles in Little Rock

A tornado raced through Little Rock and surrounding areas Friday, splintering homes, overturning vehicles and tossing trees.
2 days ago
FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks with reporters while in flight on his plane after a cam...
Associated Press

Worries grow that Trump indictment could undermine public confidence in other investigations

Trump’s attempts to overturn those results amid false claims of widespread fraud are at the heart of two other ongoing investigations.
2 days ago
(Facebook Photo/Superior Court of Arizona in Yavapai County)...
Associated Press

Arizona judge has cases reassigned following DUI arrest

The Arizona Supreme Court has ruled that all cases currently assigned to a Yavapai County Superior Court judge recently arrested on suspicion of extreme DUI will be reassigned to other judges.
6 days ago
Haitian migrant Gerson Solay, 28, carries his daughter, Bianca, as he and his family cross into Can...
Associated Press

US, Canada to end loophole that allows asylum-seekers to move between countries

President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced a plan to close a loophole to an immigration agreement.
9 days ago
Expert skateboarder Di'Orr Greenwood, an artist born and raised in the Navajo Nation in Arizona and...
Associated Press

Indigenous skateboard art featured on new stamps unveiled at Phoenix skate park

The Postal Service unveiled the “Art of the Skateboard" stamps at a Phoenix skate park, featuring designs from Indigenous artists.
9 days ago

Sponsored Articles

(Photo: OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center)...

Here’s what you need to know about OCD and where to find help

It's fair to say that most people know what obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders generally are, but there's a lot more information than meets the eye about a mental health diagnosis that affects about one in every 100 adults in the United States.
...
Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.
...
Quantum Fiber

How high-speed fiber internet edges out cable for everyday use

In a world where technology drives so much of our daily lives, a lack of high-speed internet can be a major issue.
Utah man pleads guilty to killing mother, 3 siblings