MOUNT PLEASANT, Sanpete County, Jan. 25, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A Sanpete County man has pleaded to the beating death of his fiancée.
Anthony Jeffrey Christensen, 38, of Mount Pleasant, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Jan. 21, to murder, a first-degree felony, and to obstruction of justice,a second-degree felony.
As part of the plea deal, a charge of abuse or desecration of a dead human body, a third-degree felony, was dismissed with prejudice.
The victim was 34-year-old Kammy Mae Edmunds, who shared a residence with Christensen. She was found on March 31, 2017 after Christensen summoned Pleasant View police to the scene.
Christensen said he had been drinking, and awoke to find Edmunds’ battered body in the bathroom, adding he suspected she had left the residence, been in a car accident, and returned prior to her death, the probable cause statement says.
The arresting officer noted drag marks and other physical evidence that suggested Edmunds’ body had been placed where it was found.
Information provided later by the Medical Examiners’ Office indicated Edmunds’ injuries were not consistent with being in a car accident, the probable cause statement says.
“I am told that the cause of death is multiple blunt force trauma concentrated to the head,” the officer’s statement says. “The Medical Examiner’s findings contradict Christensen’s statement that Edmunds was likely in a car accident.”
A forensic examination of Edmunds’ phone indicated it had been erased or factory reset in the hours before police were called to the residence, the affidavit says.
A forensic examination of Christensen’s phone and its records indicated it had pinged off a cell tower not near the residence during the time he said he was asleep.
Christensen also had sent Edmunds Facebook messages during the time he said he was asleep, the examination found, and those messages were what caused the pings at a distant location.
Christensen signed a document saying he understands he faces a maximum sentence of five years to life in prison for the murder charge, and one to 15 years to life for obstruction of justice, court records show.
His sentencing is scheduled for March 4 of this year.
Christensen also faced two charges of assault on a prisoner, a third-degree felony, based on incidents that occured on May 22, 2017, and on July 10, 2019.
On Jan. 14, he pleaded guilty to the 2019 assault, which was upgrated to a first-degree felony, with sentencing set for March 4. On Jan. 21, the 2017 charge was dismissed with prejudice.
