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SALT LAKE CITY -- A plea agreement is in the works for a man wrongly accused of murder who still faces a federal weapons violation charge.
An attorney for Roger Mortensen told a U.S. District judge Tuesday she is working to resolve the matter to avoid a trial as well as to keep her client out of prison. Mortensen faces one count of being a felon in possession of firearms. He was convicted of felony theft in the mid-1990s.
"There are a lot of mitigating circumstances in this case," Wendy Lewis said.
Mortensen, 48, suffered a traumatic brain injury in an ATV accident 16 years ago that rendered him mentally diminished. A Navy veteran, he was ordered to attend federal veterans court last month and was to undergo a mental health evaluation at the VA hospital.
Lewis said she anticipates settling the case before the March 23 trial date.
Mortensen and his wife Pamela spent four months in jail last year on murder charges in connection with the fatal stabbing of his father, retired BYU professor Kay Mortensen. Utah County authorities dropped charges against the Mortensens in December when two other suspects surfaced.
E-mail: romboy@desnews.com.
