Salt Lake County District Attorney: CIU Decision VACATE

Press release from Salt Lake County District Attorney:

2021-09-17

Today, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office published the second finding from our Conviction Integrity Unit. The Conviction Integrity Unit has spent the last year reviewing the following case. The purpose of the CIU is to review and investigate post-conviction claims of innocence and make recommendations to the District Attorney about the disposition of those claims.

The panel recommends to vacate. The District Attorney's Office filed a motion to vacate both convictions.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said, “As prosecutors we have a tremendous responsibility to ensure justice is done. If someone is wrongfully convicted, we have a duty to right that wrong. Our Conviction Integrity Unit has been careful, diligent, and deliberate in reaching a conclusion. I accept their recommendation and support the findings. We will never close the door on a claim of innocence, new information always has the possibility of changing a decision. When this unit was created it was done so with an eye towards independence and transparency. Every review done by the CIU will be published unedited for the sake of transparency.”

The report and recommendations can be found in the attachment below.  

Attachment: CIU REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION 8.24.21

This press release was produced by Salt Lake County District Attorney. The views expressed here are the author’s own.