Prosecutors seeking death penalty for man charged with killing mom, other man in Springville

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Matthew Jacob Leonard, who is accused of killing his mom and another man in their home.
The bodies of Sarah Johnson and John Waldron Handricks, of Salt Lake City, have not yet been found but charges say blood was found in the home.
Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray said the decision to seek the death penalty came after consulting with the victims' families.

PROVO — Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against a Springville man accused of killing his mother and another man.

Matthew Jacob Leonard, 28, is charged with two counts of aggravated murder, now a capital offense; two counts of obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony; plus two counts of abuse or desecration of a dead body and five counts of felony discharge of a firearm, third-degree felonies.

The notice of intent to seek the death penalty was signed by Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray; it says the death penalty is being sought for each count of aggravated murder.

A missing persons flyer depicts John Waldron Handricks and Sarah Johnson, who were last seen on March 20. Johnson's son has been arrested for two counts of aggravated murder in their deaths. Police believe Matthew Leonard killed them, but no bodies have been found in the investigation. (Photo: Facebook)

"The decision to seek the death penalty is supported by substantial evidence, is made in the interest of justice, and has come after consultation with the victims' families," it says.

Leonard is accused of killing Sarah Johnson, of Springville, and John Waldron Handricks, 50, of Salt Lake City. Their bodies have not been found.

On the night before March 20, Johnson and Leonard had picked Handricks up and brought him to their Springville home, charges claim.

Two witnesses said they called to ask Leonard for a ride, and when he didn't answer, they walked up to his front door. As they approached the door, one witness said he heard five gunshots and the other heard "loud bangs" before Leonard came out and spoke with them briefly. They reported they were afraid and left the area "as quickly as possible."

On April 6, one of Johnson's family members told Springville Police and reported that another family member had claimed she had been shot. Police then found Leonard's phone data showed his phone was turned off for about 12 hours on March 20 and that he spent 16 hours in a remote area in Duchesne County a few days later.

The Springville home of Matthew Jacob Leonard, who is accused of killing his mother and another man at the home, though, their bodies have not been found. (Photo: KSL)

While serving a search warrant on April 11 at the Springville home, officers said they found evidence of blood spatter, a bullet lodged into the drywall, five empty .22-caliber shell casings and blood residue. Charging documents claimed the "two separate pools of blood" were evidence that two people were substantially injured.

Leonard had also recently subleased his mother's room, and the new tenant told officers there was some woman's clothing in the closet when he moved in. Charges said Leonard told the new tenant they belonged to his mother and she had "probably overdosed and was probably dead somewhere."

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