Tremonton man specifically targeted police during deadly 'rampage,' prosecutors argue

BRIGHAM CITY — State prosecutors concluded their arguments Thursday, saying there is "more than enough evidence" to order a Tremonton man to stand trial for the deaths of two police officers during a "rampage" last August.

Chief Deputy Attorney Blair T. Wardle accused Ryan Michael Bate, 33, of "targeting" any and all law enforcement officials who responded to his residence for a domestic violence call on Aug. 17, 2025. Tremonton-Garland police officer Eric Estrada, 32, and Sgt. Lee Sorensen, 56, were both killed at the scene, and Box Elder County sheriff's deputy Mike Allred and his police K-9, Azula, a 3-year-old female Belgian Malinois, were injured.

Bate is facing the death penalty for two counts of aggravated murder, a capital offense.

During his first in-person court appearance on Wednesday, Bate was hunched over, head held low throughout the proceedings. Defense attorney Jonathan Nish periodically placed his hand on Bate's back to comfort him. The second day of hearings was no different, with Bate never once lifting his eyes.

Among the packed rows of the courtroom sat family members of the deceased officers who could be heard crying while evidence was presented for more than eight hours total.

Wardle said that the state's evidence "gives us a full understanding of that night." The more than 120 exhibits of evidence included crime scene photos, dash-cam and body-cam footage, witness accounts from neighbors, forensic reports from the scene, a lengthy interview Bate's wife did with police, recordings she took during the alleged domestic violence incident and medical analyses of injuries.

"You've heard (his wife) explain the events leading up to the defendant's rampage and the terror she witnessed that night," he said.

'I'm going to put a bullet through your teeth'

Wardle went through each of the 19 counts Bate is charged with, pointing to evidence that he said shows Bate deserves to stand trial for each one.

In her interview, Bate's wife explained she and her husband had been arguing and he was repeatedly accusing her of cheating on him. At some point, he head-butted her, slammed her head into a door and forcefully held her down on the bed, she said. All of these alleged offenses occurred while her three children were home.

The wife claims Bate told her, "If you call them, I'm going to put a bullet through your teeth," and "I'm going to kill you and myself."

Wardle said these actions constitute the basis of seven domestic violence-related charges that occurred prior to the shootings: unlawful detention and threatening violence, class A misdemeanors; and two counts of domestic violence-related assault and three counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, class B misdemeanors.

The wife said she called 911, then hung up. The 911 dispatchers called back, and she told them she was in an argument with her husband, but he had since calmed down and didn't need help, Wardle said. But then he became angrier and started drinking, she said.

"He's been wanting to get me arrested since I got him arrested," she said in the interview recording, referencing another domestic violence incident that occurred in 2024. She explained, in that case, she called police after Bate had physically abused her, but his family got involved and she felt pressured to drop the case.

Wardle said the recordings the wife took during the alleged domestic violence show Bate's intentions were "very clear," and if cops showed up, he would "send them away in caskets."

Wardle said Bate called dispatch on his own phone and hung up. Sorensen was dispatched to the scene and spoke with Bate and his wife, but without evidence of a crime, he started to leave the scene, the prosecutor said.

'Selective' shots

The two capital offenses and four attempted aggravated murder charges then stemmed from the six shots allegedly fired by Bate once police arrived, Wardle said.

As he was driving away, Sorensen's vehicle was shot. He got out of the car to try to aid Bate's wife, who was attempting to flee, but was shot directly and fell to the ground. Estrada had just arrived on scene and ran to help his sergeant, but was also shot and killed, Wardle said.

Allred was en route to the call and arrived moments later. His car was shot at twice, and he and his K-9 were injured by bullet fragments. A neighbor heard the shots and, thinking they were fireworks, came to the area to investigate, the prosecution stated. When he saw the downed officers in the street, he tried to turn around and flee, but a shot was fired at his car, narrowly missing the driver.

By this point, Bate had the gun aimed at himself, Wardle alleges, and said two other neighbors came by the intersection, talked Bate down, then snatched his gun and tackled him to secure him until more police arrived. Wardle said Bate then admitted he was the shooter and begged the officer to kill him. He also told police there were three Molotov cocktails in the garage.

Wardle explained that all of these shots and attempted homicides were part of "one criminal episode" where he only targeted cops.

"The defendant is very selective in who he is shooting at. He's not indiscriminate when it comes to just anybody; he is very discriminate when it comes to law enforcement — that's all he cares about. It tells you that his specific intent is to target law enforcement," Wardle argued.

During the night, there were three other instances where Bate could have shot someone who wasn't law enforcement: a truck that drove by, a kid on an electric scooter who rode through the area and the neighbors who eventually talked Bate down. Instead, Wardle argues, Bate only shot at the responding police officers, and at the neighbor who he thought was police as they were driving a silver car with tinted windows that was an SUV commonly used by police departments.

Bate was "waiting for the right opportunity to take these shots," Wardle claimed, pointing to footage showing Bate purposefully did not shoot into the backs of vehicles but waited until they had turned around so he could get a better angle at the driver's side.

Wardle also emphasized "chilling" body-cam footage from Estrada that showed, after both officers were down, Bate hovered over their bodies holding a rifle and a revolver.

"He looks very much like a hunter scanning the area looking for more officers, looking to see if there's anybody else he can shoot at," Wardle said.

The rest of the charges — endangering a police service dog, a third-degree felony; three counts of possessing an explosive, a second-degree felony; and two counts of possession of a dangerous weapon with criminal intent, class A misdemeanors — are also supported by crime scene evidence, Wardle said.

"The court has more than enough evidence at its disposal to find that on Aug. 17, 2025, Bate showed his intent to murder the officers and did everything he could to follow through on that threat and in doing so, committed all 19 of those offenses," Wardle said.

First District Judge Spencer D. Walsh ordered the defense to file a written response to the state's arguments by Aug. 14. The prosecution has until Aug. 28 to file a response, and the judge will announce his formal decision in an in-person hearing on Sept. 10.

The 2024 incident

Bate was arrested and charged in the 2024 domestic violence incident, but those charges were later dismissed, according to court records. The Box Elder County Attorney's Office refiled the charges a few days after the cops' deaths.

In that case, the wife claims that while they were arguing, Bate grabbed her by the throat, picked her up, and threw her onto the couch, Wardle said. The incident occurred shortly after she had given birth and was still recovering from a C-section, he added.

Tremonton police officer Jeremy Bare briefly testified in court Thursday about responding to the Bate residence in May 2024. During that response, Bate was detained, marks on the wife's neck were photographed and Bate "acknowledged he did break a chair," Bare said.

Bate was ordered to stand trial on Thursday for charges of aggravated assault and three counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, third-degree felonies, and property damage, a class B misdemeanor.

Bate will have an arraignment for this case during the Sept. 10 hearing. The defense will then decide if the cases will be diverged and tried independently.

According to court records, Bate's wife filed for divorce on Sept. 16, 2025.

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