Grantsville Shooting Suspect Makes First Court Appearance
Jan 27, 2020, 8:09 PM | Updated: 8:12 pm
TOOELE, Utah – A $4 million bail has been set for the teenager accused of killing four family members in Grantsville. Colin Jeffrey “CJ” Haynie, who is 16 years old and being charged as an adult, made his first appearance in court Monday afternoon.
Haynie has been charged with four counts of aggravated murder and one count of attempted aggravated murder.
Haynie did not comment in court other than to answer yes or no. He was wearing shackles along with a maroon-like sweatshirt and gray jail pants. From all indications, he showed no sign of remorse for what happened on Friday, Jan. 17 in his Grantsville home.
Investigators said Haynie shot and killed his mother, 52-year-old Consuelo Alejandra, and three younger siblings one-by-one over a five-hour period as they returned home.
His siblings include Milan Haynie, 12, Alexis Haynie, 15, and Matthew Haynie, 14. Investigators said CJ Haynie shot his father in the leg after he returned home around 6:16 p.m. The father wrestled the gun away from him and the two ended up being taken to the hospital by a neighbor.
His father and older brother, who is in college, were both at the court hearing but did not comment to the media.
“I mean it’s the most horrific tragedy for this entire family, for their friends, for this close-knit community and their extended family,” said Richard Van Wagoner, who is CJ Haynie’s attorney for now. Haynie will be getting a state-paid attorney because he has no resources and Van Wagoner will be applying for that position.
“He doesn’t have a job, he doesn’t have a prior job, he doesn’t have a home, he doesn’t have a car, he doesn’t have a prior car, he has zero and he is being treated as an adult,” Van Wagoner said.
In court, prosecutors asked for Haynie’s bail to be set for $1 million per victim. The judge agreed.
The judge also agreed to keep Haynie in juvenile detention rather than move him to the county jail, which she could do since Haynie is being charged as an adult.
Van Wagoner cited safety reasons as the cause for the petition.
“My preference is that he remains in the juvenile facility where he is now. I think that overall it’s the best place, the safest place for him,” said Van Wagoner.
Haynie’s next court hearing will take place on Feb. 4. That’s when it will be decided whether his attorney can represent him.
If found guilty Haynie could face life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years, which is part of a law the legislature passed in 2016 for juveniles charged with aggravated murder.
