Kay Mortensen Murder: New Arrrests, Two Cleared in Ex-BYU's Professor's Killing
PROVO, Utah (CBS/KUTV/AP) Utah police arrested two new suspects in the 2009 murder of retired Brigham Young University professor, Kay Mortensen, and prosecutors plan to drop charges against Mortensen's son and daughter-in-law.
Authorities said Martin Bond and Ben Reggit, of the eastern Utah town of Vernal, acknowledged involvement in the slaying of Mortensen, who was found with his throat slit in a bathtub at his home near Payson, about 60 miles outside of Salt Lake City.
Utah County Sheriff Lt. Mike Brower told The Associated Press that Bond and Reggit were found with 20 of Mortensen's shot guns, handguns and rifles, and that he believes the motive for Mortensen's killing was to steal his large collection of weapons.
Last November, the sheriff's office responded to a call from the Mortensen home where deputies found 70-year-old Kay Mortensen dead and his son, Roger Mortensen, and wife, Pamela, claiming they'd been held hostage.
Months after the killing authorities arrested Roger and Pamela the couple on charges of murder and obstruction of justice. Police said one major reason they were originally named as persons of interest was because their stories of the incident didn't match up.
The two faced a January trial on charges that Pamela Mortensen's attorney said falsely accused them of murder, but a recent tip led officers to Bond and Reggit, who will be charged with aggravated murder, kidnapping and aggravated burglary, said Sheriff Brower.
Pamela Mortensen is scheduled to be released from Utah County Jail Thursday and her attorney Greg Skordas says she doesn't want to make a public comment but simply wants to go home and hug her mom, according to CBS affiliate KUTV.
"She's still very much upset right now," Skordas told KUTV. "She's in jail and has been there for 4 1/2 months. I think she just wants to be home."
Though murder charges have been dropped against both Pamela and Roger Mortensen, officials say they are still listed as persons of interest.
Roger Mortensen still has federal charges for possession of a firearm by a restricted person. Officials say he is now in custody of the U.S. Marshall's office but will most likely be released from Utah County Jail and transferred to Weber County Jail, reports KUTV.