Ex-Marine Sentenced for Killing His Girlfriend Smith Tells Speirs’ Family, “I Wish I Could Take It Back, but I Can’T
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FRONT PAGE A1 www.tooeletranscript.com TUESDAY TOOELETRANSCRIPT Cowboys beat Bear River with last-second TD pass See A10 BULLETIN October 9, 2007 SERVING TOOELE COUNTY SINCE 1894 VOL. 114 NO. 40 50¢ Ex-Marine sentenced for killing his girlfriend Smith tells Speirs’ family, “I wish I could take it back, but I can’t. All I can say is that I’m sorry.” by Suzanne Ashe extreme emotional distress and post- beginning of March. Gary Searle. “The bottom line is, he took STAFF WRITER traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a Eight months after Speirs’ death, a life.” result of fighting in Iraq. Smith had been Smith checked himself into the V.A. Pauline Speirs, Nicole’s mother, told In the winter of 2006, a young man discharged from the military because of Hospital where he confessed to a family the court she had “always wondered” came back from war traumatized and his condition and was receiving a dis- member and later to the police that he if Smith was responsible her daughter’s killed a young woman he loved. ability pension as a result. had caused Speirs’ death. death. This morning, amidst emotional tes- According to court documents, Speirs, Speirs’ body was exhumed in April She said Speirs was an artist with a timony and heartfelt pleas for forgive- a 22-year-old mother of young twins, and was examined again by the Utah degree in graphic design who loved her ness, Walter Smith, 26, was sentenced drowned in the bathtub of the couple’s State Medical Examiner and a medical children and enjoyed her job at Wal- in 3rd District Court for the otherwise Tooele home on March 24, 2006. examiner from Oregon at the request Mart. unexplained death of his girlfriend Smith had originally told police he of the defense. The results were still “Nicole was happy when you came and mother of his two children, Nicole returned home with his children at inconclusive. back into her life ... when you met your Speirs. about 1 a.m. on March 25 and found “We would not be here if Walter hadn’t children for the first time,” Pauline Smith, who will receive credit for the Speirs under water. The death was confessed,” Jube told the court. Speirs said to Smith. 310 days he has spent in the Tooele labeled a suicide, but later changed to Judge Kouris, who revealed to the When Smith had a chance to speak photography / Troy Boman County Detention Center, was sen- “unexplained.” court that Smith is currently engaged to to the court, he turned to address the Walter Smith apologizes to the family tenced by Judge Mark S. Kouris to one to The couple had dated before Smith be married, was perplexed by how PTSD Speirs family: “I didn’t plan to do what members of his former girlfriend, Nicole 15 years in the Utah State Penitentiary left for Iraq. When he returned in Jan. could adversely affect one of Smith’s I did. I wish I could take it back, but I Speirs, in 3rd District Court Tuesday. and a $69,000 fine. 2006, he met his twins, a boy and a girl, relationships, but not another. can’t. All I can say is that I’m sorry.” Smith was sentenced to one to 15 years Defense attorney Matthew Jube for the first time. Speirs’ mother said “If it wasn’t for [Smith] taking the The twins are being raised by their in the Utah State Penitentiary on one told the court that his client, a former Smith was asked to provide child sup- life of a young mother, we wouldn’t maternal grandparents. count of manslaughter for killing Speirs in March 2006. U.S. Marine Reserve officer, suffered port, but moved in with Speirs in the be here,” said Deputy County Attorney [email protected] School enrollment Wrong-way drunk driver sent to prison by Suzanne Ashe killed by a drunk driver asked the judge to people at 3:40 a.m. on Nov. 25, 2006, near continues to climb STAFF WRITER remember the gift of forgiveness. mile marker 29 on I-80. In August, 23-year-old Jeffrey Harrison, This morning, Harrison stood by the Increase marks 11th year of growth, Although sentencing hearings usually of Park City, pleaded no contest in 3rd jury box and listened to stories of how although rate not as sharp as last year focus on punishment and restitution, one District Court in August to driving under much families of victims Vakataha Mila, such proceeding this morning took an the influence of marijuana and alcohol 42, of West Valley City, Valentine Kioa, 50, by Tim Gillie districts, added Johnsen. interesting twist after the wife of a man and causing an accident which killed three and Sosaio Fehoko, 69, both of Salt Lake STAFF WRITER In planning for this City, loved and missed them. school year, the district’s A 30-year-old woman who was also Tooele County schools enrollment projections injured in the accident was present, but added 488 new students missed the mark by less did not address the court. when they opened this than half of a percent. According to court papers, Harrison was fall, marking an 11th That helped district offi- headed to the state of Washington from straight year of enroll- cials avoid a last-minute his Park City home, but instead of taking ment growth. But the rate scramble to find enough his usual route north on I-15, he headed of growth slowed consid- teachers. Over the sum- west on I-80. He was driving west in the erably compared to last mer, 30 new teachers were eastbound lanes on I-80 when the acci- year, when the district hired, and after school dent occurred. Investigators do not know was the fastest growing opened the district hired how long he was on the interstate traveling in the state. an additional half-time in the wrong direction, or how he man- Districtwide enroll- kindergarten teacher, and aged to get 100 miles off course. Blood test ment increased 3.9 per- transferred one teacher results revealed a blood alcohol level of cent compared to last from a school with lower- 0.11. The state’s legal limit is 0.08. year, but that rate is than-anticipated enroll- Harrison, a professional skier was also down from a 6.1 percent ment to fill a position at injured in the accident, and now has lim- increase from 2005 to a school that had higher- ited use of his left arm and hand. Also, as 2006 and a 6.8 percent than-anticipated growth, a result of the accident, Harrison has no increase from 2004 to according to Johnsen. memory from 12 hours prior to the acci- 2005. Rose Springs dent to two weeks afterwards. However, Tooele Elementary was the fast- Defense attorney Walter Romney Jr. told County School District est growing school in the court his client could be an advocate Superintendent Mike the district with enroll- and spokesman for organizations such as Johnsen calls the slowing ment up 13 percent. The Mother’s Against Drunk Driving (MADD) growth rate an anomaly, school, which is near due to his prominence as a pro skier. not the start of a trend. booming Stansbury Park photography / Troy Boman “He could go out and tell others about “There are still a lot residential neighbor- Jeffrey Harrison is comforted by family in the hallway of the Tooele County Courthouse following his sen- the impacts of making bad decisions,” of preschool age kids hoods, added 91 new stu- tencing in 3rd District Court Tuesday. Harrison was granted a few hours to spend with his family by Judge out there getting ready dents. At the other end of Mark Kouris at the request of the victims’ parents. Harrison will be taken to the Utah State Penitentiary SEE DRIVER PAGE A6 ➤ to turn school age,” said the spectrum, Northlake today and could serve up to 10 years on three counts of automobile homicide. Johnsen. Elementary enrollment School enrollment fig- went down by 6.2 per- ures statewide are not cent, or 43 students. finalized until November, A careful look at actu- so it is too early to com- Grantsville set to grow eastward with new project pare our growth to other SEE SCHOOL PAGE A6 ➤ Mayor breaks tie vote to give large commercial-residential development green light by Tim Gillie Rupp was absent, leaving the vote a tie, Castagno asked for the commercial devel- STAFF WRITER which was decided by Anderson’s vote in opment to be built along SR-112 with favor of the project. parking behind the buildings. Grantsville Mayor Byron Anderson cast “These guys have been coming out here Anderegg said that plan will be his the deciding vote last week to tip a split for sometime now and have agreed to intent as well, but would depend upon City Council and approve a new $85 mil- everything we’ve asked,” said Anderson, the needs of the development’s anchor lion development on the east end of the as he cast the deciding vote for approval. store. Anderegg also agreed to reduce city that will include commercial and Jacob Anderegg, owner of Hewn the multifamily housing component of retail components, as well as high-den- Development, said he has had discus- the project and increase the commercial sity housing. sions with major grocery stores and a component if the initial phase of the The Oquirrh Estates, to be built by national hotel chain to anchor the com- commercial project does well.