Utah teen charged with killing mother, 8-year-old brother as mystery of final hours unravels: police

A 17-year-old Utah boy is accused of killing his mother and 8-year-old half-brother after prosecutors say a masked figure matching his build was caught on camera roaming the neighborhood in the hours after a late-night shooting.

Saratoga Springs police arrested the teen on Aug.

14 after a 17-month investigation involving dozens of search warrants, hundreds of pieces of evidence and extensive forensic testing, the department said.

The teen was booked into juvenile detention after detectives screened two counts of first-degree murder with the Utah County Attorney’s Office, police said.

Prosecutors later charged him in juvenile court with two counts of aggravated murder and obstruction of justice, according to charging documents obtained by KSL .

16-YEAR-OLD NC GIRL CHARGED IN TRIPLE MURDER OF FAMILY MEMBERS, ARRESTED IN TENNESSEE WITH 28-YEAR-OLD MAN The state said it intends to seek to move the case to adult district court, the outlet reported.

The teen’s identity has not been released because he is a juvenile.

PARENTS FOUND BURIED BEHIND HOME IN WEALTHY NEIGHBORHOOD AS POLICE LAUNCH INTERNATIONAL MANHUNT FOR SON Police responded to a medical-assist call at the family’s home on Willowbrook Lane on March 28, 2025, and found Jessica Orton Lyman, 44, and Eli Painter, 8, suffering from gunshot wounds.

Despite efforts to save them, both died, police said.

The victims’ remains were discovered after Lyman’s teenage daughter returned home the next morning, KSL reported.

A neighboring home-surveillance camera allegedly captured an argument around 11:30 p.m. the night before the victims were found, with voices investigators believe belonged to the teen and the victims.

Near midnight, a woman’s voice consistent with Lyman’s could be heard shouting, "What are you doing?!" Less than two minutes later, three gunshots were heard, one, followed by a brief pause, then two in rapid succession, according to the charging documents.

BRYAN KOHBERGER'S FORMER DEFENSE EXPERT CALLS FOR DEATH PENALTY, SAYS INVESTIGATORS MISSED KEY EVIDENCE The teen later told investigators that he and his mother had argued that night, KSL reported.

Additional home-surveillance video allegedly showed a masked figure walking through the neighborhood between 2:34 a.m. and 2:59 a.m. on March 28.