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UTAH STATE PRISON — A man sentenced to up to life in prison for slitting his wife's throat and then trying to hire a hit man while awaiting trial has been denied parole.
Kristopher Lee Ertmann, 30, will not have another chance at parole until 2029.
In 2013, Ertmann, 30, of Kaysville, slit his wife's throat and then had her call 911 to claim it was a suicide attempt, according to court records. But based on the evidence, Ertmann was arrested and charged. Ertmann's wife, Tiffany Mead, survived the attack.
While awaiting trial in the Davis County Jail, Ertmann attempted to hire a hit man to have his wife killed, according to charging documents. When investigators found out that Ertmann had been talking to several inmates about a hit man, an undercover officer went to the jail and talked to him while posing as someone interested in the job, according to court records.
Ertmann was convicted in both cases. He was sentenced to 1 to 15 years for the charge of aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury, and up to life in prison for criminal solicitation. A judge ordered the sentences run consecutively.
A parole hearing was held in May. On Monday, Utah Board of Pardons and Parole spokesman Greg Johnson said the full five-member board found "aggravating factors of risk to public safety and victim impact" when deciding whether to grant parole.
The board ordered Ertmann to get updated psychotherapy evaluations and set a rehearing in 11 years.
