SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, June 5, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — A Third District Court judge has sentenced Kennedy Grant Lund to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2018 murders of Chasidy Gerber and Martin Barron, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced Thursday.
According to the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office, Lund, who was 23 at the time of the killings, was sentenced Wednesday to two concurrent life terms without the possibility of parole after a jury convicted him of two counts of first-degree felony aggravated murder.
The case stems from a June 26, 2018, shooting in West Valley City.
On that day, police responded to reports of shots fired near 1431 W. 3350 South. According to prosecutors, officers arrived and encountered a woman holding an AR-15 rifle. After she complied with orders to drop the weapon, she directed officers to a nearby residence, where Lund was found naked in the basement.
The district attorney’s office said Lund’s father told officers his son may have shot someone. Investigators later found the bodies of Gerber and Barron at a neighboring property. Several shell casings were located near the victims, and both appeared to have been shot.
Photo: Gephardt Daily/Steve Milner
Prosecutors filed two counts of first-degree felony aggravated murder against Lund on July 5, 2018.
The trial was initially scheduled for 2020 but was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic until 2023. During the 2023 proceedings, a witness introduced evidence while testifying that resulted in a mistrial, according to the district attorney’s office.
Following additional delays related to pending motions, a new trial began Feb. 24, 2026. After four days of testimony, a Third District Court jury found Lund guilty on both aggravated murder counts.
Evidence presented at trial showed Gerber and Barron were staying with a tenant of a trailer home on the property where Lund lived.
Photo: Gephardt Daily/Steve Milner
Prosecutors said Lund told investigators he was inside his apartment when he believed he heard children screaming as though a crime was being committed against them. The district attorney’s office said Lund, who was not wearing clothes at the time, armed himself with an AR-15 rifle and went outside.
Prosecutors said Lund passed three children playing in a small pool, determined they were unharmed, and continued walking until he encountered Gerber and Barron. The victims confronted Lund about walking naked while carrying a firearm in front of children, prosecutors said.
The district attorney’s office said Lund then shot Gerber five times. Prosecutors said at least one bullet that passed through Gerber also struck Barron, killing both victims.
During Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, Barron’s mother addressed the court and described the emotional, physical and financial impact the killings have had on her life. She asked the judge to impose a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.
Gerber’s oldest daughter also spoke, telling the court that Lund’s actions caused lasting harm to families and relationships. She said she was forced to plan her mother’s funeral at age 18 and asked the court to impose the maximum penalty.
The judge sentenced Lund to life without the possibility of parole on each count and ordered the sentences to be served concurrently.
Photo: Gephardt Daily/Steve Milner
“We appreciate the judge ensuring the defendant will never be free again after committing these heinous murders of innocent people trying to protect young people who were simply playing. We hope that the victims’ families, who were devastated by the loss of their loved ones, feel they have received some measure of justice, now that the defendant will be behind bars the rest of his life, ” said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill.
“We appreciate the work of our prosecutors Vincent Meister, Breanne Miller, and Julie Sagers for their years of work on this case that led to the conviction and sentence. We thank the West Valley City Police Department for their thorough investigation that helped lead to this successful prosecution.”
