Opinion ID: 2635258
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: investigation and prosecution

Text: ¶ 20 At the beginning of January 1986, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office screened the case and declined to prosecute Hales on child abuse charges, noting lack of evidence of intent. A short time later, on January 28, 1986, Midvale City Police reopened the case to aid in a possible civil suit by Westerman. They gave Westerman copies of the files that had previously been prepared. The criminal case was then closed once more in February 1986. Westerman apparently never went forward with her civil action. ¶ 21 On December 3, 1987, the Utah Attorney General filed a civil lawsuit against Hales, seeking to recover the costs that the State had incurred for Luther's care. The State took depositions of Hales, Westerman, and Dr. Bentley. But this case also languished, and the docket entries end without explanation on September 20, 1991. ¶ 22 The State did nothing further until Luther died on December 12, 1997. After Luther's death, the matter was again referred to the Salt Lake District Attorney's Office. In January 1998, Jim Cope of the Salt Lake District Attorney's Office once again declined to prosecute, noting in the file that the evidence considered at the original declination has not improved with age, and negligent homicide has a statute of only 4 years. Cope's note concluded by saying, Prosecution of this case would be requiring a miracle, and I just haven't performed many lately. Sometime around February 2, 1998, the case was then referred by the Midvale City Police Department to the Attorney General's Office, where it sat for two years. ¶ 23 Finally, on February 29, 2000about fourteen years after Luther sustained the brain injuries that left him in a vegetative state, but only a little more than two years after Luther's deaththe Utah Attorney General charged Hales with murder. Hales was arrested in March 2000.