Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
PROVO — The second of three men charged in the 2011 shooting death of a Provo man has been ordered to prison.
Darrell Wayne Morris, 41, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and obstructing justice, second-degree felonies, and possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a third-degree felony, in 4th District Court last week in the death of Andy Purcell, 32.
Morris was sentenced to one to 15 years in prison for both of the second-degree felony counts and zero to five years for weapons charge. Judge Derek Pullan ruled that all of the prison terms would run concurrent to each other and that Morris would receive no credit for any time he already served.
Purcell was found on the front porch of his Provo home, 541 S. 300 East, on the morning of May 16, 2011, with a gunshot wound to his head. Police said Yuri Sanchez Lara, 35, contacted Morris "a couple days" prior to the shooting to talk about an assault on Purcell that resulted in his death.
Purcell's family said Lara and Purcell had previously dealt drugs together and were in a dispute over payment for a vehicle Purcell sold to Lara, prosecutors said. Lara apparently asked Morris to assault Purcell and offered him 1 ounce of methamphetamine in payment, which Lara told a police informant he paid in full for the "contract" on Purcell.
Police said Danny Leroy Logue, 49, went with Morris to assault Purcell and that the gun used in the shooting belonged to Logue. Logue is charged with aggravated murder and two counts of possession with an intent to distribute, first-degree felonies, and possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, obstructing justice and knowingly being present when a controlled substance is used, second-degree felonies.
A trial in his case is currently scheduled to begin Aug. 4.
