Possible resolution in 2nd trial for man convicted in fiancee's death

Possible resolution in 2nd trial for man convicted in fiancee's death

(Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)


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SALT LAKE CITY — A new trial ordered for Billy Justin Charles, once convicted of killing his fiancee on the eve of their wedding, has been canceled pending a possible resolution in the case.

Charles, 39, was scheduled to face a jury starting Aug. 24, charged with murder in the death of his fiancee, 18-year-old Jamie Ellen Weiss. However, when attorneys met for a motion hearing Monday, the trial was canceled and a change of plea hearing scheduled for Aug. 25.

Prosecutors are working with Charles' attorneys regarding a potential resolution to the case, deputy district attorney Vincent Meister confirmed. Details of the possible deal, which is still being negotiated, were not released.

Charles was found guilty of murder in 2009, 12 years after his fiancee's death. He was sentenced to five years to life in prison, the penalty for murder when Weiss died. Citing the circumstantial case against Charles and errors by attorneys, the Utah Court of Appeals overturned the conviction in 2011 and ordered a new trial.

Jamie Ellen Weiss, 18. (Photo: Family photo)
Jamie Ellen Weiss, 18. (Photo: Family photo)

Weiss was found dead in the bathtub of the couple's mobile home in Magna on Aug. 7, 1996, the day before the couple was to be married. Police were called out to the home on a report of a drowning, but an autopsy later showed Weiss died as a result of blunt-force trauma and asphyxiation.

Weiss' death was deemed a homicide in 1996, but no arrests were made until the case was reopened in 2007 and Charles was charged with murder, a first-degree felony.

Meister, who helped prosecute the initial trial against Charles, argued at the time that Charles had killed Weiss and staged a crime scene before leaving for work. Through it all, neighbors told police they didn't hear any barking from the couple's normally protective dog.

Charles' attorneys, however, pointed to reports of a strange car in the area that morning and threats made toward Weiss by Charles' former girlfriend. They insisted there was no physical evidence linking Charles to the slaying, and that hairs found on Weiss' body did not match his. The hairs were not tested for DNA evidence at the time.

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