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SALT LAKE CITY — A man who was charged alongside his niece with killing a man in 2004 was released on probation Monday, while sentencing for the woman was rescheduled.
Clint Veon Snyder, 53, entered an Alford plea in August to a reduced count of manslaughter, a second-degree felony, in the stabbing death of 24-year-old Michael Lewis. An Alford plea is not an admission of guilt but acknowledges Snyder would likely be convicted by a jury.
Snyder and his niece, Brittany Lin Snyder, were charged in January with murder, a first-degree felony, in Lewis' death. Brittany Snyder pleaded guilty to manslaughter, a second-degree felony, in the killing.
A prison sentence of one to 15 years for Clint Snyder was suspended Monday, which prosecutors had agreed to recommend as part of the plea deal. He was instead placed on 36 months of probation and ordered to pay nearly $6,000 in restitution.
The Snyders, of Murray, had been held on $1 million bail since their arrest.
Sentencing is rescheduled to Nov. 22 for Brittany Snyder, 32, who remains in custody. A sentence recommendation was not made as part of her plea deal.
In court filings, Brittany Snyder admitted she lured Lewis to her former home, 5316 S. Hamlin St., on March 6, 2004, and "participated in the events that led to his death."
Clint Snyder said in plea filings that he restrained Lewis to prevent him from defending himself while his niece stabbed the man multiple times in the neck and torso.
Police say Brittany Snyder used pepper spray to incapacitate Lewis before her uncle tackled him. After stabbing the man, Clint Snyder and a third person, identified only as B.D. in charging documents, left Lewis' body in a trash can where it was discovered a day later.
