Man Accused In Mackenzie Lueck’s Death In Court On Separate, Unrelated Cases

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The man accused of murdering University of Utah student Mackenzie Lueck and leaving her charred remains in a shallow grave was in court Wednesday for two separate cases.

Ayoola Ajayi is facing charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and aggravated kidnapping and forced sexual abuse of an adult female. None of the additional charges are related to the Lueck case. A motion Wednesday would require the victim in one of the sexual assault cases to testify before a trial.

The judge heard arguments over a motion to request Brady materials, which she granted.

Also considered was a motion to quash a subpoena that would require the alleged victim to testify in a preliminary hearing. The state and an attorney from the Utah Crime Victims Legal Clinic argued against having the testimony at a preliminary hearing. They also noted the victim had already given a statement.

The defense, however, argued to have the testimony on record.

“(The testimony is appropriate) definitely for trial, and a defendant does have a right to confront his accuser, and so we’re not denying that,” said Laurel Hanks, attorney for the alleged victim. “We are just trying to keep court appearances to a minimum if we can. It can be traumatizing to come to court … and traumatizing for victims of, especially, sexual abuse.”

The defense declined to comment.

The judge will make a decision on the motion to quash subpoena by Nov. 20. The parties will meet again on Nov. 27 for a preliminary hearing.