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SALT LAKE CITY — A West Valley woman was sentenced to prison Tuesday for her part in a plot to kidnap two men over a drug debt, which ended in one of the men being forced to shoot the other.
Tina Maxine Soules, 44, was given no credit for time served as she was ordered to spend at least two and up to 20 years in prison for manslaughter, a second-degree felony, in the death of Cleon Knight, 34.
A sentence of one to 15 years will run concurrently for kidnapping, a second-degree felony. Soules was originally charged with murder and two counts of aggravated kidnapping, all first-degree felonies, in Knight's death. She pleaded guilty to lesser charges as part of deal with prosecutors in October.
According to police, Soules and three others — Christopher Kim Leech, 38, of West Valley City; Viliamu Seumanu, 45, of West Jordan; and Theron Myore, 46, of Roosevelt — kidnapped Knight and a friend from West Valley City around Nov. 23, 2013.
After holding the men against their will, police say the group drove the two men to a remote mountain road. There, Leech and Seumanu marched them off into the snow, where Leech shot Knight and ordered his friend to do the same or be killed himself, charges state.
The group then left Knight's body behind and brought his friend back to West Valley City, making him burn his clothes before releasing him.
Leech was found guilty in September of aggravated murder, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of aggravated robbery and obstructing justice, all first-degree felonies. He was sentenced in November to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the aggravated murder charge, while an additional, concurrent life without parole sentence was handed down for one of two aggravated kidnapping charges.
Seumanu was found guilty in April 2015 of murder and two counts of aggravated kidnapping, first-degree felonies, and obstructing justice, a second-degree felony. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the aggravated kidnapping, and concurrent terms of 15 years to life in prison for the murder and second aggravated kidnapping charges.
Myore is charged with murder and two counts of aggravated kidnapping, all first-degree felonies. A jury trial is scheduled to begin August 8.
