Couple beat man to unconsciousness, all for pocket change, charges say

SANDY — Criminal charges were filed Thursday against a Sandy couple accused of offering a man a ride home from the liquor store, then beating him and leaving him on the pavement with life-threatening injuries, all for "pocket change," prosecutors say.

Eric Zechariah Kliner, 20, and Cindy Lee Johnson, 43, were charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with aggravated robbery causing serious injury, a first-degree felony.

The investigation began July 1 when police found an unconscious man on the ground near 8850 South and 100 West. The victim "was severely bleeding from the mouth and his left eye appeared swollen shut," according to charging documents. The man was taken to a local hospital where police were told he "was in critical condition and could take a turn for the worse and be susceptible to death due to the injuries."

The man, whose name has not been released, also suffered a broken jaw and was placed on a breathing tube, according to investigators.

Sandy police credited "good detective work" for being able to identify and find Kliner and Johnson. Detectives found a man who said he had gone to the liquor store with the victim but both realized they had forgotten their IDs when they got there. The victim said he waited in the parking lot to find someone who would be willing to buy alcohol for them.

When Johnson and Kliner pulled up, Johnson agreed to buy a bottle for the victim, the charges state. Investigators were able to find surveillance video of the car the couple was driving and get a license plate number. They also said they identified Johnson based on liquor purchases made that day.

The couple was questioned after police were able to track them down. They admitted to coming up with a plan to offer the victim a ride home and then rob him, the charges allege. Police say they used the money from his pockets to go back to the liquor store and buy more alcohol.

Kliner is also currently facing charges in a separate case of assault on a police officer, a class A misdemeanor; and assault, a class B misdemeanor. In that case, he is accused of punching another man in the head and then punching an officer in the arm at the Men's Resource Center, 3380 S. 1000 West, in May of 2021.

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