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OGDEN — Prosecutor Branden Miles admits he was pleased with the sentence.
"It's the best outcome we could hope for, that (Angela Rowley) never has to worry about Liam Gale getting out and hurting her and her family ever again," he said.
Gale, 34, was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the shooting death of Trevor Anthony Martin, 36, who was murdered in front of his family on Dec. 25, 2020.
Rowley, who was also shot, survived but had to undergo multiple surgeries and skin grafts to repair the lower half of her face.
Gale was the last of three suspects convicted in the Christmas morning shooting in Riverdale, and he received the most severe sentence of the three. Gale was found guilty in an August jury trial of aggravated murder of Martin, along with the attempted aggravated murder of Rowley, both first-degree felonies.
Gale was also found guilty of aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary, first-degree felonies, and obstructing justice, a second-degree felony. He pleaded guilty the same day to two counts of possession of a weapon by a restricted person, a first-degree felony.
Along with life without parole, Gale was also sentenced to a term of 15 years to life for the attempted murder of Rowley, five years to life for each of the other first-degree felonies and a term of one to 15 years for obstructing justice. Miles said the length of the sentences was enhanced because of Gale's status as a habitual violent offender.
All sentences were ordered to be served concurrently, but consecutively to charges Gale was on parole for at the time of the shooting, including an attempted aggravated robbery in 2015. Miles was unsure how many years Gale has left to serve in that case and said Gale has been in and out of prison for many years.
At 3:20 a.m. on Dec. 25, 2020, police responded to a report that multiple people had been shot at a mobile home park at 5100 S. 1050 West in Riverdale.
Brittany Ann Rogers, then 31, of Clearfield, was the driver that morning for her boyfriend, Gale, then 31, and Rayburn Jimmy Bennett, then 16, of West Valley City.
Rowley was wrapping Christmas presents while her four daughters, then ages 7 to 15, were asleep in the next room when Bennett and Gale — both armed with a gun — forced their way into their family home asking for Martin and planning to rob him, according to court documents. During a struggle over the gun, Bennett shot Martin three times.
"Liam Gale, who was still engaged in physical struggle with Angela Rowley, also had a gun. He broke free from Angela and also fired his gun at Trevor Martin. After being struck by several bullets, Trevor Martin collapsed and died on the floor at the base of the Christmas tree in the living room," court documents state.
Before fleeing, Bennett turned and shot Rowley in the face, leaving her injured and scarred.
Defense attorney Grant Morrison noted in August that Gale had previously lived with Martin for about four months and it "didn't go well." Morrison said Gale's intent in targeting Martin was to rob, not kill him, "for what it's worth."
"He didn't go there to kill Trevor Martin, he went over there to rob him and teach him a lesson," Morrison said.
Gale's older sister Mamie Hanson sent a letter to 2nd District Judge Camille Neider prior to the sentencing, saying Gale is mentally only 16 or 17 and asking Neider to see Gale "not as a monster, but as a mentally challenged little boy."
"Liam should serve time for his crimes, but not more than the person who fired the fatal shots," Hanson said in the letter. "None of the three people that committed these crimes meant for anyone to die. ... I know without a doubt my brother is not a murderer."
But Miles commented prior to the sentencing that "Gale has absolutely not shown any remorse for what happened and has expressed pretty offensive things about what happened to the victim."
Gale was the last of the three suspects tied to the incident to be sentenced. Bennett was sentenced May 19 to two terms of 15 years to life in prison for Martin's murder and the aggravated attempted murder of Rowley. Neider ordered the sentences to run concurrently because of Bennett's cooperation, she said, including telling the truth to police and showing efforts to improve. He will be housed at the Weber Valley Detention Center until he turns 25 and will then be transferred to the Utah State Prison.
Rogers was sentenced May 30 to a term of 15 years of life in prison for Martin's murder. She also received two prison terms of five years to life for aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary, and two terms of one to 15 years in prison for the aggravated assault of Rowley, and for obstructing justice. Those sentences were ordered to run concurrent with each other, but consecutive to the murder charge, meaning that Rogers will serve at least 20 years and up to life in prison. She was given credit for 883 days already served in jail.
Bennett's defense lawyer, Taylor Hartley, told the court during Bennett's sentencing that Gale had persuaded the teenager to participate in the crime by telling him he could use the money from the robbery to help support his family, and the now-19-year-old is "haunted by what he did."
"It's a terribly tragic and sad case," Miles said. "It's like (Rowley) is being revictimized every day, and her daughters, too."
