LOGAN, Utah, Aug. 13, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — Alex Whipple, the man accused of kidnapping, raping and killing his 5-year-old niece, Elizabeth Shelley, pleaded guilty to those charges Tuesday in a Cache County courtroom.
Whipple pleaded guilty to:
- Aggravated murder, a Capital offense
- Child kidnapping, a first-degree felony
- Rape of a child, a first-degree felony
- Sodomy of a child, a first-degree felony
In exchange for his pleas, two charges of obstructing justice, a second-degree felony, were dismissed with prejudice, as was one count of desecration of a dead human body, a third-degree felony.
Whipple was already promised he will not face the death penalty, a deal he made in exchange for revealing the location of Lizzy’s remains.
Whipple’s sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 24 of this year.
“Lizzy” Shelley was reported missing on Saturday, May 25 of this year. Whipple had been staying overnight at the residence.
Over the coming days, multiple searches were conducted for Lizzy. Local citizens and professional crews were involved.
Whipple, brother of Lizzy’s mother, revealed the location of the body five days later. It was less that a block away from her mother’s residence, hidden under debris in an overgrown lot.
