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SALT LAKE CITY — A 78-year-old man accused of killing his former co-worker and dumping her body near the Jordan River in Sandy will remain in prison while he awaits trial.
William O'Reilly, of South Jordan, was ordered to stand trial in July for the killing of Masako Yamada Kenley, who was both shot and stabbed near the Jordan River in 2021, after waiving his right to a preliminary hearing.
In a court hearing Thursday, O'Reilly said he and Kenley were involved in a yearslong affair that he claimed produced a child.
O'Reilly claimed he is the father of at least one of Kenley's children, although prosecutors responded that there is no evidence of this. He told the judge he gave the Kenley family almost $1 million through paying off a home, purchasing cars and paying off credit card debt over the years — so his "children could grow up in a stable environment." It is unclear whether that claim is true.
While disclosing the alleged affair and waiving his right to a preliminary hearing, O'Reilly did not admit to hurting Kenley. He and his attorney, Rudy Bautista, also asked the judge that he be allowed out on bail while he awaits trial so he can receive medical care and earn money for his children.
"The defendant wishes to continue to support the children, but he can't do it from in jail because it's impossible," O'Reilly said, reading from a document.
Bautista told the court his client qualifies for housing at the VA campus and asked the court to take into account his age, his "lifetime of public service" and the nature of his offense, which the attorney said was not a random crime, in considering whether to allow bail.
Third District Judge Paul Parker, however, found that O'Reilly is a danger to the community, noting his efforts to hide his connection to the alleged crime, a fixation with the victim's family and a "disturbing" amount of anger.
"It was clearly a vindictive type of murder," the judge said.
Evidence points to O'Reilly, prosecutor says
In Thursday's hearing, deputy Salt Lake County attorney Melanie Serassio said investigators found out about him from talking to people at the post office where Kenley worked. She was supposed to meet those co-workers for dinner but never showed up on the evening she was killed.
Serassio said a co-worker could testify that O'Reilly was stalking Kenley. The prosecutor also called O'Reilly an example of "typical" domestic violence, a person who is controlling and snaps when something doesn't go his way.
Serassio said prosecutors have video evidence showing O'Reilly and Kenley going into a hotel together the evening Kenley disappeared and then leaving about an hour later. The video also shows O'Reilly returning on his own, wearing shorts instead of pants, about an hour and 10 minutes later. Between that video, she said the car the man and woman left in was recorded on video at a 7-Eleven near where Kenley's body was later found.
Serassio said when police searched O'Reilly's car, they found it contained some of Kenley's personal items, including her purse.
She said the day after investigators believe Kenley was murdered, O'Reilly brought a gun to his brother-in-law saying that it had jammed while he was firing it into a ditch. Serassio said O'Reilly asked for help fixing the gun and cleaning it and encouraged the brother-in-law to keep the weapon until he was sure it was working.
The prosecutor said Kenley was both shot and stabbed, and the prosecutor noted the gun could have jammed, leading O'Reilly to pick up another weapon.
Serassio said Kenley's body was hard to find, and investigators needed the help of cadaver dogs to locate it because it was left in such a secluded area. She said the crime scene looked like the perpetrator was staging a sexual assault to make it look like it was a random crime.
Serassio, however, said there is no evidence suggesting anyone else was involved in the killing.
"She told him she was going to leave him, and he isn't going to have it," the prosecutor said.
Serassio called O'Reilly a "walking time bomb," claiming he would leave if he were released on bail and said there are serious consequences whenever he gets upset.
"He understands that this sentence in the case, if convicted … it will be a life sentence," she said, noting his age.
She said there are other potential targets for his anger, including those who led investigators to him, Kenley's family, and his ex-wife and her family.
An attorney representing Kenley's family, Brandon Merrill, read a statement from Kenley's husband, who he said is "terrified" of O'Reilly being released. The statement said he and his children would oppose O'Reilly's release under any condition.
'I want to state the truth'
O'Reilly, meanwhile, claimed that while he sits in jail, he is costing taxpayers money — but out of jail, he could be a productive citizen. He said he would not be a flight risk because of his age, claiming that his only desire is to increase his assets so he has money to leave his descendants, and out of jail he would have access to good medical care as a veteran.
"I bear no ill will toward anyone," O'Reilly said.
He also read from court documents of his 2022 divorce from his second wife, detailing the amount of money he gave to the Kenley family. He said his family found out about his romantic relationship with Kenley through looking at the spending.
When he began reading texts between him and Kenley, allegedly to show that he was being manipulated by her, the judge tried to stop O'Reilly from sharing information that could be used against him. Still, O'Reilly expressed a desire to continue.
"I understand that, but I want to state the truth," he said.
O'Reilly's next court hearing will be on Sept. 23.
