EMERY COUNTY, Utah, Feb. 29, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — The defendant in an Emery County murder case was found guilty Friday of all charges in the death of William Randy Jones.
Brandon Michael Samples, 38, was charged in the 2019 death of Jones, 61, who died of blunt force trauma.
Samples was found guilty of:
- Murder, a first-degree felony
- Three counts of obstructing justice, a second-degree felony
- Abuse or desecration of a dead human body, a third-degree felony
Jones’ remains were found on May 2 of last year in the Mohrland area of Emery County. The victim had been dismembered, court documents say.
Samples, who was on parole for an unrelated case, was taken into custody shortly after the incident, and remained in the Utah State Prison while the investigation proceeded.
According to court documents, Anna Brewer, a friend of Samples, witnessed the murder, believed to have happened on or near April 28 of last year. Brewer stated, according to court papers, that she witnessed Samples beat the victim to death with two baseball bats, and said he returned at least two times to try to destroy evidence.
Brewer pleaded no contest to obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony. Her sentencing is set for March 3.
Samples’ had pleaded not guilty to all five felony charges. His sentencing is scheduled for March 24.
