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Sam Penrod Reporting A ten-year conspiracy of silence into what happened to Spanish Fork teenager Kiplyn Davis, took another hit today. As expected, one of the key defendants in the case, Garry Blackmore, took a plea bargain from federal prosecutors. What was a surprise is that it quietly happened today, two days before it was scheduled to happen.
Today's plea was made during a sealed hearing, and the plea deal itself remains under seal. That is likely because of the critical information that Garry Blackmore may have in helping to solve the Kiplyn Davis case.
Garry Blackmore was never a classmate of Kiplyn Davis and did not live in the area until after she disappeared. By all accounts, he had nothing to do with her disappearance, but is accused of later learning what happened to her and then lying to the FBI and a grand jury about it.
Blackmore has been in federal custody since August, when he was indicted in the case. It is believed that Blackmore was approached about helping to "move a body." It is also believed that body was Kiplyn Davis, apparently moved after she was killed, in an effort to hide the crime.
Kiplyn disappeared on May 2nd, 1995 and now three of her former classmates are at the center of the investigation. Timmy Olson, Chris Jeppson and Rucker Leifson face charges of making false statements and perjury. Olson, Jeppson and Leifson are scheduled to stand trial in February.
Prosecutors now have Blackmore and Scott Brunson, who took a plea deal in December, on their side. The question now is, will the other defendants have a chance at a plea deal or do prosecutors have the witnesses they need now to prosecute the three men on all charges?
Garry Blackmore faces up to ten years in federal prison, when he is sentenced in March. For now, he remains in custody and will likely be a witness at the perjury trials of the three men next month.
