Logan man given 15 years to life in prison for stabbing death of his father

LOGAN — A man who pleaded guilty to the murder of his father in Logan was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.

Clayton Robert Shaw, 35, was charged Sept. 30, 2024, with murder, a first-degree felony. The charges came three days after the body of his father, Dennis Shaw, 77, was found by the Franklin Basin snowmobile parking lot with several stab wounds to the chest.

The charges accused of Shaw of stabbing his father and dumping the body off U.S. 89 in Logan Canyon on Sept. 26, 2024. Investigators learned Shaw had been in a dispute with his father after he was served an eviction notice from one of his father's properties.

Police said some of Dennis Shaw's employees told them they were concerned about Clayton Shaw's "declining" mental health and that he had made threats against his father in the past, the charges said.

Detectives watching Dennis Shaw's house on Sumac Drive the day they found his body saw Clayton Shaw pull up around 3 p.m., knock on the door, get back in his car and drive away. Police pulled him over and found he was carrying a "fixed blade, double-edged knife" on him "consistent with the shape and size of the wounds that were observed on (Dennis Shaw's) body," according to court documents.

In December 2024, Clayton Shaw pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. In February 2025, the court held a hearing to review Shaw's competency to stand trial, and defense attorneys said they were making progress toward a resolution.

In March 2025, Clayton Shaw pleaded guilty with a mental condition. A mental health evaluation was completed, and in January this year, he submitted a new plea under the "guilty but mentally ill" statute, court records show.

Shaw was given a treatment plan shortly after, and defense attorneys filed a motion in May to reduce the charge to manslaughter based on special mitigation factors of his "severe psychotic disorder."

"Utah's current statutory framework permits reduction of a homicide offense where special mitigation is established, including mitigation based on a delusion attributable to a mental condition," the motion states. "The history of hallucinations, persecutory beliefs and bizarre misidentifications shows that his perception of reality was distorted in the period immediately preceding the homicide."

That motion was denied during a hearing in August.

On Oct. 28, Shaw was sentenced to 15 years and up to life in the Utah State Prison for first-degree felony murder. He was given credit for the 760 days he had previously served.

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