3 charged in child torture investigation in Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY — Three people who police say abused — and possibly tortured — two children in a motel room for weeks, possibly as long as a month, now face numerous charges.

Laurie Ann Hackett, 32, of Salt Lake, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with seven counts of child abuse, a second-degree felony; and child endangerment, a third-degree felony.

Kerri Ann Pavlica, 52, of Salt Lake, was charged with five counts of child abuse, a second-degree felony; and obstructing justice, a third-degree felony.

Randee Alan Coon, 31, of Salt Lake, was charged with five counts of child abuse, a second-degree felony. Coon and Hackett are married and Pavlica is Coon's mother, according to charging documents.

A woman who is homeless and has two boys, ages 6 and 17, asked Pavlica to watch her children beginning about June 1, the charges state. The 17-year-old is high-functioning autistic, court records state.

On June 14, Hackett, Pavlica and Coon checked into the Econo Lodge Motel, 715 W. North Temple, with the two children.

The mother claimed she would bring her children food while they stayed with the three defendants, but failed to do so for two weeks prior to police becoming involved. The mother said Pavlica "became evasive and would not let her see her children," charging documents state.

On July 12, when the mother finally found her children at a park, she got an Uber to take them to a friend's house in South Salt Lake. Once there, "she discovered that both children were covered in bruises and other injuries," according to the charges.

The children were taken to Primary Children's Hospital where doctors discovered numerous injuries. The 6-year-old boy had "extensive bruising and swelling to his face, chest, abdomen," and other areas, as well as "multiple internal injuries," the charges state. The boy had burn patterns on his face and injuries from his wrists being bound, according to the charges. Methamphetamine was also detected in his urine, the charges state.

The 17-year-old boy also had extensive bruising and swelling and injuries consistent with "blunt trauma," the charges state. The boy told doctors he was "'punched in the face,' 'smoke burned' (in reference to cigarette burns identified), 'kicked,'…'and 'hit with a pipe,'" according to charging documents.

Doctors say the injuries on both boys "were consistent with child physical abuse and the patterned burns and puncture wounds elicit significant concerns for child torture," the charges state.

During the course of collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses, police found a woman who said she was in the motel room on July 10 and saw the 6-year-old on the bed. She saw the boy "had a black eye, bruises, scabs and tape on his wrists and it appears that the boy's wrists were bleeding," the charges state. When the woman exited the bathroom, she heard the boy say, "No, please, stop. I'm sorry." The 17-year-old boy was sitting in a corner facing the wall and "was not talking and was not allowed to look back or say anything" to the woman, the charges state. The woman noted that it appeared the teen had not showered in "years."

On July 11, the 6-year-old went into a 7-Eleven with Pavlica. A clerk working at the store noticed "the child appeared to have two black eyes and other bruising," the charges state. The clerk asked the boy if he wanted a pizza because he looked hungry. When the boy said yes, the clerk began making the pizza and called police to conduct a welfare check, the charges state. Pavlica overheard the clerk on the phone with police, grabbed the boy and ran out of the store, according to the charges.

On July 14, police found the three suspects sleeping in a van they intended to buy and "were going to use to flee," the charges state. A search warrant was served on their motel room where police found metal pipes and multiple knives, the charges state.

When interviewed by police, the group told detectives that the boys were punched, slapped, and forced to "stay in an up-right pushup position and hold it as a form of punishment," the charges state. If they failed to stay in that position, "Hackett would punch, stab and choke the children," according to the charges. The younger boy also had his face burned with a "torch lighter," had his wrists bound together with tape, and was stabbed in the leg with scissors, the charges state.

Prosecutors have requested all three defendants be held in the Salt Lake County Jail without bail pending trial.

Related topics