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UTAH STATE PRISON — A man accused of causing the death of his 16-year-old baby sitter and dumping her body in Morgan County was back in prison Wednesday.
Eric Millerberg, 36, was stabbed multiple times inside his cell at the Utah State Prison just before 5 p.m. Monday. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries, which were not life-threatening.
By Wednesday morning he was back at the prison infirmary. Department of Corrections spokesman Steve Gehrke said Millerberg would remain at the infirmary at least temporarily until his medical needs were met and prison officials could decide where best to place him based on his security needs.
"We don't want to place him in an environment that will be dangerous for him," he said.
Millerberg's cellmate, the only other person in the cell at the time of the stabbing, is considered the only suspect. A motive for the attack was not known Wednesday.
The cellmate was in prison for convictions of violating a protective order and two counts of possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person. He reportedly is a member of the same gang as Millerberg, Gehrke said.
We don't want to place him in an environment that will be dangerous for him.
–Steve Gehrke
The alleged weapon was a metal shank, about the size of a pen, he said. It was unknown Wednesday where the homemade weapon came from.
Millerberg is awaiting trial for the September 2011 death of Alexis Rasmussen. He was charged with child abuse homicide, a first-degree felony; obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony; and unlawful sexual activity with a minor, and abuse and desecration of a human body, both third-degree felonies.
Rasmussen allegedly would baby-sit for Eric and Dea Millerberg in exchange for drugs. She would also go to their house for drugs on other occasions, according to investigators.
On the night she died, Millerberg allegedly injected Rasmussen with heroin and methamphetamine. She died at the house. Millerberg then allegedly hid Rasmussen's body because he didn't want to go back to prison.
It was unknown Wednesday if the attack was motivated by Millerberg's alleged crime.
The suspect in the stabbing has been moved to a different part of the prison pending the investigation being conducted by the Unified Police Department.
Dea Millerberg was charged with desecration of a dead body, a third-degree felony.
