Riverton man charged with manslaughter now faces child sex abuse allegations

RIVERTON — A man charged last year with shooting and killing his stepson while he was showing his guns to his stepdaughter is now accused of sexually abusing children.

Joseph Lepage Lee, 47, of Riverton, was charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with seven counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony.

Last year, Lee was charged with manslaughter, a second-degree felony, and four counts of reckless endangerment, a class A misdemeanor, for allegedly shooting his stepson, Haven Alexander McBride, 18, in the head in the living room of his Riverton home. Lee told responding officers that "it was an accidental shooting."

According to his new charges, Herriman police took a report of a child sex abuse allegation made against Lee.

"During the course of the initial investigation … it was discovered that multiple victims reported similar acts committed by Lee," charging documents state. "There is substantial evidence based on multiple reports of sexual abuse by multiple children over multiple years."

The alleged abuse happened about 10 to 15 years ago.

Prosecutors further note in their charges that "there are other known victims of the defendant, who do not yet feel comfortable making a disclosure of their abuse" and another case in which the statute of limitations has run out, according to the charges.

Lee is currently on pre-trial release from his manslaughter case. Because of the new abuse allegations, prosecutors have requested that Lee be held in the Salt Lake County Jail without the possibility of posting bail.

A preliminary hearing on the manslaughter charge is scheduled for Oct. 14.

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