Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The U.S. Attorney has decided against seeking the death penalty for a Utah man who drove 1,800 miles to Missouri with a dead woman in a perfumed storage container in the back seat of her car.
A spokeswoman for U.S. Attorney Brett Tolman says mental health issues are involved. Melodie Rydalch says the Department of Justice will make a final decision on Tolman's recommendation, made this week.
Michael Doyel, 47, is charged with federal kidnapping and murder charges. The state has filed its own first-degree murder charge against Doyel for April's cross-country caper.
State obstruction of justice and theft charges also were filed against him. Together, the state charges don't qualify for the death penalty. Tolman's decision means Doyel's case is unlikely to turn into a capital punishment trial, but he faces life in prison if convicted.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
