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SALT LAKE CITY — The homeowner who shot and killed a woman who broke into his home in West Jordan will not face criminal charges, according to Sim Gill, Salt Lake County District Attorney.
On June 8, Makayla Yeaman, 23, entered a home at 6845 W. 7605 South about 5:30 a.m. after obtaining a garage door opener from a truck parked outside the home, according to investigators.
Police said when she made it into the house, she was confronted and shot by the 26-year-old homeowner, whose name has not been released. He told police he heard the garage door opening and dogs barking, so he took a gun with him to investigate.
A knife was discovered near Yeaman's body, according to police. Gill said Wednesday she had been pulling out the knife before the shooting occurred, making the threat to the homeowner more serious.
"The homeowner's home had been invaded and the homeowner had a reasonable concern for his own safety, and therefore defended himself," Gill said.
Gill said the case was screened for possible charges "because there was a use of force that ended up killing a person and we take the loss of life very seriously. However, we could not articulate a filing of charges from a perspective of criminal conduct based on the evidence we have."
Three other people were sleeping inside the house at the time of the shooting, police said.
Yeaman's mother, LeAnn Yeaman, expressed anger and frustration at the decision not to charge the homeowner.
"I want to put 'you're a coward and a killer' on his front door," she told KSL on Wednesday.
In Makayla Yeaman's obituary, the woman is described as loving to write and sing, and having "a spirit too big for her body."
"Makayla suffered from the disease of addiction. Her parents are in recovery but weren't always, so she had it tough growing up," the obituary states.
