Man charged with murdering Utah police officer could face death penalty

A hearse carrying Santaquin Police Sgt. Bill Hooser enters the Santaquin City Cemetary on Monday, May 13, 2024. (Kyle Dunphey/Utah News Dispatch)

The man accused of fatally striking a Santaquin police officer with a semitrailer could face the death penalty, Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray said. 

On Tuesday, 42-year-old Michael Aaron Jayne of Garrett, Indiana was charged in the 4th District Court with nine felonies, including aggravated murder, for the May 5 death of Santaquin Police Sgt. Bill Hooser. If convicted, Gray said, that charge could result in the death penalty, life in prison without the possibility of parole or 25 years to life in prison with the possibility of parole. 

If Jayne pleads not guilty, Utah code gives prosecutors 60 days to file a notice of intent to seek the death penalty, Gray said during a news conference. 

Jayne was also charged with two counts of attempted aggravated murder and one count of aggravated kidnapping, all first-degree felonies; three counts of automobile theft and one count of burglary, all second-degree felonies; and one count of failing to obey the lawful command of a police officer to stop, a third-degree felony. 

Prosecutors say Jayne was driving a semitrailer on Interstate 15 last week when Hooser stopped him for blowing through a stop sign on the off-ramp, then continuing back on to the highway. Utah Highway Patrol troopers had been looking for Jayne after he called 911 claiming “that someone was riding on the back of the trailer of the semi truck he was driving,” according to the charges filed on Tuesday.

According to a probable cause affidavit, “officers made several attempts to reassure Jayne of the reason for the stop and that he was not in any trouble with them. They told Jayne they were there trying to help.” 

As Hooser and a highway patrol trooper were trying to talk with an uncooperative Jayne, a woman jumped out of the passenger door with her hands up “pleading for help,” court documents state. The woman later told officers she had been held against her will after Jayne threatened her with “chemical bear spray and a knife,” resulting in the aggravated kidnapping charge. 

The woman’s escape prompted Hooser and the trooper to move in to detain Jayne, but he put the truck in gear and fled, according to the affidavit. As Hooser and the trooper ran back to their cars, Jayne made a U-turn and began driving towards them, accelerating quickly with “black smoke billowing out of the exhaust smokestack,” court documents read. 

Prosecutors say Jayne intentionally struck and killed Hooser with the truck as he tried to run for safety — they also say he nearly struck the highway patrol trooper and the woman, which explains the two counts of attempted aggravated murder. 

The Utah County Attorney’s Office said Jayne stopped about 100 feet from where he struck Hooser and fled on foot to a nearby gas station. That’s where he stole a semitrailer, drove it to the town of Mona, then stole a Ford pickup that he drove to the town of Mt. Pleasant. 

In Mt. Pleasant, according to charging documents, he broke into a home, stealing another Ford pickup and a pair of boots before heading north towards Vernal. That’s where the three counts of automobile theft and one count of burglary come from. 

As he drove north at speeds of over 100 mph, highway patrol troopers intercepted Jayne. Before they disabled the vehicle, prosecutors say he “failed to respond to the officers’ signal to stop,” leading to the ninth felony. 

After the stolen truck was disabled, Jayne was taken to the University of Utah Hospital, Gray said. On Saturday, he was booked in the Utah County Jail. His first court hearing is Wednesday at 3 p.m.

Gray said his office will be tight-lipped as Jayne’s case moves through the court system.

“I do not intend to make statements during this ongoing investigation and criminal justice process. I will not publicly opine on the evidence or on decisions issued by the court. I will not do anything that might jeopardize the integrity of this prosecution. This process will take months, so I ask for your patience,” Gray told reporters. 

Hooser was laid to rest on Monday with full honors in an all-day event that brought out thousands of police officers from around the country. The list of speakers included Utah Gov. Spencer Cox.

“There are heroes all amongst us, every day, doing this kind of work. This thin blue line is real. It is the line between order and chaos. It is the line between good and evil. And every day those of you who wear the badge step into that breach, step into that line, and we take it for granted every day,” Cox said. “And I pray that today will be a reminder to every one of us to not take it for granted.”

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