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AMERICAN FORK — The man found guilty of killing a retired Brigham Young University professor in 2009 has been sentenced to life in prison with no parole.
Martin Bond, 25, was found guilty on Jan. 18 of killing retired BYU professor Kay Mortensen during a Nov. 2009 robbery. Bond was also found guilty of holding Kay's son and daughter-in-law hostage.
Roger and Pamela Mortensen were initially suspects in the crime and were arrested and put in jail, until police were tipped off about Bond. Both of them, along with Kay's widow and family, hoped Tuesday was the final chapter in the legal case.
Ben Rettig, also present during the robbery, took a plea deal in 2011 of 25 years to life in prison.
On Tuesday, for the first time since his arrest, Martin Bond faced the family of Kay Mortensen and apologized.
"It's a horrible tragedy that shouldn't have happened" he said, adding, "I really did like Kay," who was a friend of Bond's father.
"He has always seemed so stoic and cold, but I didn't feel his sincerity in saying he was sorry," said Mortensen's widow, Darla Mortensen. "I think he got what he needed to have to spend his life in prison. That is where he needs to be."
- Nov. 2009: Kay Mortensen is killed at his Payson home during a home invasion.
- July 29, 2010: Roger and Pamela Mortensen are arrested.
- Dec. 2010: After new evidence surfaces, the state drops murder charges against Roger and Pamela Mortensen.
- Dec. 2010: Court documents reveal details about the investigation, and Rettig and Bond appear in court.
- Jan. 2011: The case is put on hold to give the Bond and Rettig time to review evidence.
- June 2, 2011: Rettig pleads guilty to aggravated kidnapping and aggravated murder in exchange for prosecutors agreeing not to seek the death penalty.
- Sept. 19, 2011: Bond is ordered to stand trial in Mortensen's murder.
- Dec. 13, 2011: Rettig is sentenced to 25 years to life.
- June 6, 2012: Bond refuses a plea deal, prompting his attorney to resign.
- Jan. 18, 2013: Bond is found guilty of killing Mortensen.
- March 5, 2013: Bond is sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for Mortensen's murder.
Bond admitted he was at the house to steal guns, but has continued to blame Rettig for the actual murder, telling the judge, "If I really was the monster people think I am, then Roger and Pam wouldn't be here today."
Roger told Bond that he robbed his father of his retirement years and expressed frustration he was once a suspect along with his wife, Pamela, whose mother lashed out at the prosecutor for falsely accusing them.
"These people are out a tremendous amount of money, let alone what it has done to our health and standing in the community and things like that," said Donna Rissinger, Pamela Mortensen's mother. "These things should be addressed. This should not happen to someone else."
Roger and Pamela expressed a desire to someday forgive Bond and Rettig, the men who terrorized them the night of the murder and whose actions turned their lives upside down.
"It will be a while before we will be able to fully forgive, but hopefully time will heal our wounds, and we hope that Rettig and Bond will try to make changes in their lives to earn the forgiveness we would like to give them," Pamela Mortensen said.
Defense attorney Rudy Bautista said some evidence "jeopardized the fairness of the trial," and that an appeal will be filed. It will likely be years before the appeal is heard, though.
Roger and Pamela Mortensen filed a lawsuit against Utah County, but it was dismissed because of a ruling by the US Supreme Court that prevents them from suing for the tens of thousands of dollars they lost in attorneys fees for defending themselves — along with the four and a half months they spent in jail, as innocent victims of the crime.
