Found Deceased UT - MacKenzie "Kenzie" Lueck, 23, Salt Lake City, 17 June 2019 #16 *ARREST*

[GordianKnot]

What is the criminal court process in Utah? | Intermountain Legal

[...]

4. Initial Appearance. (Class A Misdemeanors & Felonies Only) The Court officially notifies a person of the charges against him or her. The Court may also decide if a bail should be set and if any no contact orders for witnesses should be issued. The Court then sets a date for a scheduling conference or waiver hearing.

5. Scheduling Conference / Waiver Hearing. (Class A Misdemeanors & Felonies Only) After both sides have an opportunity to review the evidence, the Prosecutor and Defense Attorney attempt to negotiate a case settlement. A judge may refuse to accept the settlement but usually will accept any agreement reached by the two sides. If the case is not settled, the case will be set for a Preliminary Hearing or for Arraignment.

6. Preliminary Hearing. (Class A Misdemeanors & Felonies Only) The Prosecutor presents evidence to show that there is enough evidence to “bind over” the case for trial. If the judge believes that there is enough evidence to go to trial for each of the charges, the Court will set the case for a Pretrial Conference or a Trial. If the judge believes that there is not enough evidence, the Court will dismiss the case.

7. Arraignment. The judge reads the charges. The Defendant must then enter a plea. A judge may also decide if any no contact orders for witnesses should be issued. If the Defendant pleads guilty or no contest, the case is set for Sentencing. If the plea is not guilty, the case is set for a Pretrial Conference.

[...]

SFA:
2. Case Screened by Police or Prosecutor. After the initial investigation, the police will either charge a person by citation, or they will send the case to the Prosecutor to be screened. When the Prosecutor receives a case to be screened, he or she will look at the evidence to determine if there is a “reasonable likelihood of conviction.” If they think they have enough evidence, they will file charges. If they do not have enough evidence, they will either dismiss the case, or ask the police to do additional investigation.

3. A Charge is Filed Against a Person. A criminal case officially begins in the court system when the government charges a person with a crime by a citation or a document called a criminal “information.” In class B or C misdemeanor cases, a police officer may file a citation with the court to bring the charge, but in class A misdemeanor or a felony cases, a citation is not permitted. Instead, the Prosecutor must file Information to begin a case. Once a case is filed, the accused person becomes the “Defendant.”
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Hugely helpful, as always and ever, thanks, Pommy!

The way I read this, it looks to me like they're currently between Steps 2 and 3 in the criminal court process right now.

I wonder if the DA is limited to being granted one extension or if he can request the judge for another one-week extension if he's not ready to file charges tomorrow.

One would think there's a limit to how long the government can hold a person who hasn't legally been charged with a crime...I can't imagine extensions can go on indefinitely.

JMO.

 

[MsBetsy]

Late-night breakfast is pretty common in some parts of the US, particularly among college students and travelers. Hence the not uncommon occurrence of 24 hour restaurants, both chain and local, which frequently serve breakfast all day. (Waffle House, Denny's, many diners, casinos etc. Not that they were going to a casino in SLC!)

Additionally Kenzie had been in California for a few days, an hour behind SLC time, and thus may not have physically felt it was that late. 2 am to college students often isn't considered late, especially in the summer.

Another poster already noted that the flight from LA is not a long one, so while she was undoubtedly emotionally tired from grieving, I doubt she felt much fatigue simply from being on a plane for two hours or so. For all we know she napped on the flight or had refreshments on board, and wanted to wind down a little before going home to sleeping roommates. MOO

She sure did look tired on the still shot from the surveillance camera.
Some said it looks like she had been crying, some say it doesn't even look like her.
She definitely didn't look like she was going on a date or meeting someone she wanted to impress. Imo

 

[ilovechili]

In the spirit of discussion. IMO “status symbol” is the wrong choice of words. It might be better to say “She is a symbol of something he covets.” Something he wants but can’t possess.

Maybe so, but I was using the poster's original words to discuss it . "Status symbol" was not my term. I am behind a few pages so this may fall in an odd spot in recent posts.

 

[WrestlingMom]

Welcome to Websleuths, blackfire18.

And, also to you, @WrestlingMom.

Thanks for joining us!

Thank you so much!

 

[WrestlingMom]

breakfast at 3am? I must admit that is a new one on me.

let's say she wanted a nice big pancake breakfast at 3am, why not a girlfriend? Or why not instruct the lyft driver to drop off at the restaurant?

After a long exhausting flight especially one that arrives in the
middle of the night, the very first thing I want to do is get home.

there is no indication their relationship was sd/sb
there is no evidence that aa "failed many times" with girls.
evidence suggests he had no shortage of female visitors.

I think the breakfast example is just used to show it could have been arranged as something completely casual...Not a sexual hookup in the park. Just trying to show she may not have intended to be meeting him for a sexual encounter. JMO.

 

[Mentalheadslap2018]

She sure did look tired on the still shot from the surveillance camera.
Some said it looks like she had been crying, some say it doesn't even look like her.
She definitely didn't look like she was going on a date or meeting someone she wanted to impress. Imo

She looked very lost in her thoughts to me, and I wondered if she was thinking of her grandmother. Of course, no way to know for sure. Such a tragedy.

 

[ethereal*22]

I have one. It’s saved me a few times. I’ve never had to touch it to anyone. Just sparking it freaked them out and they left. The directions said to hold it to their skin 3 seconds or more. The longer, the more impaired they are. If you can get it on a joint, it’s supposed to be more effective. 10 seconds is the preferred amount of time. It really just buys me time to scream and run. I wish we could own ones like LE has, that shoot those wires. Mine cost $30 and plugs in to the wall outlet to recharge. It definitely packs a punch. It freezes someone’s muscles up for a minute, and hurts like hades.

The LE wired tasers can be effective but don’t work on everyone. If the intended is on certain drugs, insane, enraged or otherwise completely out of their mind they can be almost useless. I witnessed this. I’m happy your stun gun has been an effective deterrent, every little bit helps, but always be preventative if that’s even possible anymore. Please don’t be overly confident with it...please...believe me, a true psychopath can overpower pretty much anything-you’ve not seen anything like it, it ceases to be human.

Better to dive into an ocean filled of great white sharks than get into a car with just one AA.

 

[GordianKnot]

I think the breakfast example is just used to show it could have been arranged as something completely casual...Not a sexual hookup in the park. Just trying to show she may not have intended to be meeting him for a sexual encounter. JMO.

Well, there are some who would describe a sexual hookup in the park as a casual encounter.

I understand the point, though.

I don't think the reason ML was meeting AA was for a sexual encounter.
Her appearance in the airport pics indicates otherwise.

Having read some of this guy's "writing," I'm highly skeptical that she was meeting with him to enjoy some scintillating conversation over breakfast.

I tend to keep it simple: Why do people meet up in a dark, isolated parking lot at 3 am, if it's not for sex?

ML was likely emotionally exhausted.
She had exams coming up.
She also had a job.
I think AA lured her with the promise of something that could help lift her over the hurdles she faced in the upcoming week.

He's a vicious predator who stalked his prey and pounced when she was at her most vulnerable.

JMO.

 

[Jcscham]

We don’t know what became of the phone. Once it was powered down, it was no longer behaving as a tracking device.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he burned it.

I still think the Instagram activity was unrelated, and highly doubt her phone was used for that purpose if it was related.

Everyone has passwords on their devices, and Kenzie would have certainly been dead at the point that the activity supposedly occurred.

If her phone had been used, it would have needed to be turned on, and he’d need that password.

At which point, law enforcement would probably be able to track the location of that phone.

I agree. The Instagram activity was most likely done by accident by law enforcement during their search of her social media.

News media reported that search warrants had been issued for ML's social media Wednesday morning.

ML's friends reported the Instagram like of the fatherless site to LE and the media at noon Wednesday.

Afterwards, a websluthes user tested if a private Instagram like will show publicly only after privacy settings are changed on a users account from private to public and that's exactly what happened.

Therefore, it's most likely while law enforcement was executing the search warrant they got that morning for ML's Instagram account they switched her privacy settings to public and that triggered all her once private likes to now appear publicly at noon for her friends to then see and report to the news media.

 

[MassGuy]

Well, there are some who would describe a sexual hookup in the park as a casual encounter.

I understand the point, though.

I don't think the reason ML was meeting AA was for a sexual encounter.
Her appearance in the airport pics indicate otherwise.

Having "read" some of this guy's "writing," I'm openly skeptical that she was meeting with him to enjoy some scintillating conversation over breakfast.

I tend to keep it simple: why do people meet up in a dark, isolated parking lot at 3 am, if it's not for sex?
ML was likely emotionally exhausted.
She had exams coming up that week.
I think AA lured her with the promise of something that could help lift her over the hurdles she faced in the upcoming week.

He's a vicious predator who stalked his prey and pounced when she was at her most vulnerable.

JMO.

The issue that I have with what you are suggesting, is twofold.

Actually, more like threefold, if that’s a thing (I think it is because my phone didn’t try and correct it).

We have no known history of drug use.

College students know where to go for drugs (it’s not hard), and meeting strange men in dark parking lots at 3am, isn’t typical.

They were both active on dating apps, and that connection appears to be far stronger than any other. This guy even had a “profile” photo of hers on his phone.

 

[1987]

did she also work at a lab other than being a student? do we know what her shift was? could she have worked like a 11pm to 7am shift? I am just wondering what her normal awake and out and about time would have been. some that work 3rd shift might consider that their normal awake time?

 

[GordianKnot]

The issue that I have with what you are suggesting, is twofold.

Actually, more like threefold, if that’s a thing (I think it is because my phone didn’t try and correct it).

We have no known history of drug use.

College students know where to go for drugs (it’s not hard), and meeting strange men in dark parking lots at 3am, isn’t typical.

They were both active on dating apps, and that connection appears to be far stronger than any other. This guy even had a “profile” photo of hers on his phone.

BBM:

Speaking to these excellent discussion points raised in the above post:

1) We have no known history of ML meeting men in dark parking lots at 3 am, either.
Lack of evidence is not evidence of absence.
The fact that we don't know it to be true doesn't mean it isn't true.

2) I don't think AA was "a strange man" to ML.
Personally, I've never believed that was a meet-and-greet there in that parking lot at 3:00 in the morning.
They knew each other somehow beforehand, almost certainly having initially met online.
Her friend that was interviewed by the reporter even stated ML had talked to him about AA.

3) I completely agree with this point.
I think AA and ML met on one of those dating thingies online.
I think that was the basis for whatever "relationship or arrangement" they had with each other.
I think AA is a sexual predator, and his interest in ML was both sexual, and predatory.
He may have needed to entice her with something besides his sparkling wit and Adonis-like good likes.
Sugar comes in lots of different forms.

All of the Above: JMO.

 

[PixieStix]

The issue that I have with what you are suggesting, is twofold.

Actually, more like threefold, if that’s a thing (I think it is because my phone didn’t try and correct it).

We have no known history of drug use.

College students know where to go for drugs (it’s not hard), and meeting strange men in dark parking lots at 3am, isn’t typical.

They were both active on dating apps, and that connection appears to be far stronger than any other. This guy even had a “profile” photo of hers on his phone.

I agree there is no evidence of drug use, but we do know she used dating apps. I think she would be less likely to meet someone in a park for drugs than all the other possibilities. Not only meet someone but get dropped off and left, that scenario would have screamed danger to her IMO.

As far as her exams coming up those weren't until Thursday, so there was no rush to go out and get drugs to help her at 3 AM in a dark park with a stranger or acquaintance.

 

[StarEyes]

The LE wired tasers can be effective but don’t work on everyone. If the intended is on certain drugs, insane, enraged or otherwise completely out of their mind they can be almost useless. I witnessed this. I’m happy your stun gun has been an effective deterrent, every little bit helps, but always be preventative if that’s even possible anymore. Please don’t be overly confident with it...please...believe me, a true psychopath can overpower pretty much anything-you’ve not seen anything like it, it ceases to be human.

Better to dive into an ocean filled of great white sharks than get into a car with just one AA.

Oh, I totally agree. I’ve gotten lax about carrying it very often. I live in an area full of drugs, primarily heroin and meth. I’ve always heard tasers aren’t always 100%. I have severe PTSD, so it’s helped me with that. I’m extremely hyper aware of every tiny thing. I would gladly be rid of PTSD, but at least it keeps me super observant.

 

[BeachSky]

Yeah his modeling pics look a lot different than the person arrested on video and also the mugshot. Looks like he let himself go, gained weight, and subsequently may have had more trouble sustaining female attention which lead to a more aggressive approach.

At the same time, he was personally becoming more empowered. Now he was a homeowner that didn't need to share space with roommates. He controlled all aspects. He set up the Air BnB, so neighbors were used to seeing random strangers arrive and depart at all hours. . The home was also in a very diverse part of town, where it's estimated that 70% of school children are Hispanic and English is a second language for many. Folks here wouldn't be calling police for minor infractions like other neighborhoods in SLC that are more well to do. It was a nice set up on multiple fronts.

He was setting up shop and this may have been the beginning. The cameras. The creation of a sound proof room with hooks, that only he could access, lead me to believe he was planning something bigger. Seemed to have a lot of money at his disposal too.

The fact that the Lyft driver went to park and not his home, bought him extra days to cover or try to destroy evidence. The coincidence that her cell phone stopped receiving/sending data when they met, I can't take as a coincidence. This leads me to believe this meeting was a set up, and possibly just the beginning for this guy. He thought he could get away with something, because he always had.

But yes, maybe this particular meeting didn't go according to plan and things escalated quicker than expected. This is my opinion only and could very well prove to be wrong in the upcoming weeks as more evidence is released.

Yeah his booking info says
5’11” 225lbs

 

[night train]

Well, there are some who would describe a sexual hookup in the park as a casual encounter.

I understand the point, though.

I don't think the reason ML was meeting AA was for a sexual encounter.
Her appearance in the airport pics indicate otherwise.

Having read some of this guy's "writing," I'm openly skeptical that she was meeting with him to enjoy some scintillating conversation over breakfast.

I tend to keep it simple: Why do people meet up in a dark, isolated parking lot at 3 am, if it's not for sex?

ML was likely emotionally exhausted.
She had exams coming up.
I think AA lured her with the promise of something that could help lift her over the hurdles she faced in the upcoming week.

He's a vicious predator who stalked his prey and pounced when she was at her most vulnerable.

JMO.

Saw an earlier post that sone what recently Kenzie had lost up to 30 Lbs on a "revenge diet" there's also the tem. meds that make that easier

 

[MassGuy]

I agree there is no evidence of drug use, but we do know she used dating apps. I think she would be less likely to meet someone in a park for drugs than all the other possibilities. Not only meet someone but get dropped off and left, that scenario would have screamed danger to her IMO.

As far as her exams coming up those weren't until Thursday, so there was no rush to go out and get drugs to help her at 3 AM in a dark park with a stranger or acquaintance.

Exactly.

There were easier ways to obtain things like that, and we don’t even know she used drugs (prescription or otherwise).

I think it’s on the table, but barely.

 

[SoCalGirl]

I think many are getting stuck on the 3 am part. I have two sons in their 20's and time is irrelevant to them. They will go to breakfast af 3:00 am, they will go to dinner at 11:00 pm, they will go to a party at 2:00 am, they will sleep until 2:00 pm - all of which are alien to me, but then I'm not a 20-something college student. The part that's sticky is ML meeting THIS GUY at 3:00 am in a deserted park. There had to have been some reason; we just don't know what it is. There is the dating app connection, so I'm thinking it had something to do with that. We don't know what kind of dating app or how far along they were in their communication, but that's how she knew him and she was expecting to meet him in the park at 3:00 am. According to the Lyft driver, she showed no trepidation at the meeting place or the car or getting out of the Lyft or retrieving her bags from the Lyft. That's really all we know.

 

[MindHunter13]

Can anyone provide a link to a synopsis of this story please? Way too many threads to go back through. Much appreciated to anyone who can help.

 

[mountainflower]

I think many are getting stuck on the 3 am part. I have two sons in their 20's and time is irrelevant to them. They will go to breakfast af 3:00 am, they will go to dinner at 11:00 pm, they will go to a party at 2:00 am, they will sleep until 2:00 pm - all of which are alien to me, but then I'm not a 20-something college student. The part that's sticky is ML meeting THIS GUY at 3:00 am in a deserted park. There had to have been some reason; we just don't know what it is. There is the dating app connection, so I'm thinking it had something to do with that. We don't know what kind of dating app or how far along they were in their communication, but that's how she knew him and she was expecting to meet him in the park at 3:00 am. According to the Lyft driver, she showed no trepidation at the meeting place or the car or getting out of the Lyft or retrieving her bags from the Lyft. That's really all we know.

It sounds like they knew one another from what the man off camera at the police station implied. To what extent, we don't know yet. And there are reports from other women that AA would hound them to meet at random areas. ML may have thought she knew AA better than she really did.

He hounded her and she agreed to briefly meet and then he would take her home. She wasn't dressed for a hookup. She had luggage from a flight. AA may have created some distress that she was willing to be an ear for and she was already out. She was going into nursing, which is a profession that seeks to take care and heal people. It is altruistic. And she was LDS, but not practicing. This could mean she had more ingrained thoughts and beliefs to help people.

I also find that many young LDS people that don't adhere to the strict tenants of the religion, will push boundaries further than many others that haven't even grown up in any religion at all. If a wayward Mormon starts to drink, they don't just hang out with buddies and have a couple of beers, they get hammered because they've never been taught moderation or how to engage in a "risky" behavior without being risky. It's all or nothing type of mentality. And coming from So Cal to Utah, you would naturally be a bigger fish in a smaller pond and have more confidence and empowerment. She may have just been trying to listen to a friend in need. Her motivation simply may have been to help someone.

She felt safe enough to meet AA. AA likely lied about true intent of the meeting. Who knows? This is all speculation and we may never find out the truth. It's simply trying to make sense of a senseless outcome.