- Emily Francis Drake, 40, pleaded guilty to murder in Ogden.
- Drake admitted to killing a man with a baseball bat in October 2022.
- She potentially faces 15 years to life in prison; sentencing is on Aug. 20.
OGDEN — An Ogden woman pleaded guilty to murder this month for the beating death of a man in October 2022.
Emily Francis Drake, 40, who police say is homeless, was initially charged in 2nd District Court in December 2022 with murder, a first-degree felony, and possession of a weapon by a restricted person, a class A misdemeanor.
The weapon possession charge was dropped in exchange for Drake pleading guilty to murder, according to Drake's plea agreement.
On Oct. 5, 2022, Ogden police were called to a home where a "a large amount of blood" was found. The discovery was made by a person who went to check on a friend who had been missing for a few days.
Police located a deceased man, whose death was ultimately determined to be a "homicide from blunt force trauma," according to charging documents. The name of the victim is not included in charging documents or an arrest report.
After collecting DNA evidence from a baseball bat believed to have been used in the killing, and putting the DNA into a national database, a potential match was made to Drake, according to the charges. Drake was already in jail for "unrelated charges in close proximity to when the murder was suspected to have taken place" two days prior on Oct. 3, 2022, charges say.
A search warrant was later served on the clothing that Drake was wearing when she was arrested on Oct. 3. The charges say blood was found on her clothing that came from the deceased victim who was found on Oct. 5.
"She was interviewed by investigators and subsequently admitted to killing the victim by hitting him in the head," according to the charges.
She faces at least 15 years and up to life in prison for the conviction and will be sentenced on Aug. 20.
