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SALT LAKE CITY — Amid the protests of her attorney, a judge has ordered a Kearns woman to stand trial in the death of a woman she was caring for.
The woman was found dead near a closet where she had apparently been bound.
Almost two months after a preliminary hearing was held in the case, 3rd District Judge Randall Skanchy determined there was sufficient evidence to bind Cassandra Shepard over as charged in the death of 22-year-old Christina Harms. Shepard, 28, is facing charges of murder and intentional aggravated abuse of a disabled adult, both first-degree felonies, and obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony.
Defense attorney Michael Sikora took issue with a statement prosecutors made in court briefs that the evidence, "coupled with imagination," could be used to determine that the abuse Harms had gone through led to her death.
Sikora said Shepard made efforts to subdue Harms, who had apparently grown difficult to control, but didn't intend to kill her.
"Trying to control (Harms) is a whole lot different than trying to kill (her)," he said.
Prosecutor Chad Platt said photos support the evidence that Harms was being kept in a closet and that the treatment still showed "depraved indifference" and an "utter callousness toward human life."
But prosecutor Chad Platt said photos support the evidence that Harms was being kept in a closet and that the treatment still showed "depraved indifference" and an "utter callousness toward human life."
Skanchy agreed that there was a reasonable inference that could be made from the evidence and spoke of Harms being bound and gagged.
Shepard interrupted, saying: "It didn't happen," before she was quieted by attorneys. She left the courtroom crying, with her head bowed.
Harms, who suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome, was found on March 25, sprawled out on the living room floor of the Kearns home she shared with Shepard, Shepard's mother, Sherrie Beckering, and stepfather, Dale Beckering. Police officers had responded on a possible overdose call, and testified that Shepard was doing chest compressions on Harms when they entered the home.
Harms' hands were wrapped in bandages so tight that deputy chief medical examiner Edward Leis said he had to cut them off. Shepard told police that Harms had started taping up her arms, causing blisters, leading to the bandaging.
Leis determined it was dehydration, positional asphyxia, high levels of sedatives, improper care and confinement that led to Harms' death. The woman had been bound, crucifix-style in a small closet, and Leis said the position would make it difficult to breathe.
Dale Beckering was convicted of aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult, a second-degree felony, on Nov. 17 in Harms' death. He will be sentenced Jan 30. Sherrie Beckering's case is scheduled for trial in January.
Email:emorgan@ksl.com
