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SALT LAKE CITY — A man accused of shooting and killing a University of Utah student in a carjacking attempt near Red Butte Garden was charged Thursday in a new attack.
Austin "AJ" Boutain, 24, is charged in 3rd District Court with aggravated assault by a prisoner, a second-degree felony; and possession of a prohibited item in a correctional facility, a second-degree felony.
On Jan. 14, Boutain attacked another inmate at the Salt Lake County Jail with a pair of nail clippers sharpened to be used as a shank, according to charging documents. Boutain allegedly stabbed the inmate multiple times while the victim was using a phone. The two had been taken out of their cells about the same time.
The inmate "suffered multiple lacerations to his head and back as a result of the attack," the charges state.
Boutain has been in custody since his arrest on Oct. 31. He is charged with aggravated murder, a first-degree felony and a potential capital offense, in the death of University of Utah student ChenWei Guo, 23. He is also charged with attempted aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, for allegedly shooting at another U. student.
Boutain and his wife, Kathleen Boutain, are accused in a two-state crime spree that left two people dead, including Guo.
Before coming to Utah, investigators believe the Boutains were in Golden, Colorado, where AJ Boutain allegedly killed Mitchell Bradford Ingle, 63, after a night of "partying" with Ingle in his RV on Oct. 27. The Boutains then took Ingle's truck and drove it to Utah, according to court documents. They set up camp in Red Butte Canyon.
Related:
Family, friends remember slain U. student at funeral
Nearly 300 family members, friends and fellow students attended funeral services Monday for ChenWei Guo, a University of Utah student who was shot and killed in an attempted carjacking last week.On Oct. 30, the Boutains devised a plan to kidnap someone in Red Butte Canyon, drive that person to Tennessee using the victim's money along the way for supplies, and then "kill the victim and hide or destroy the vehicle" once they reached their destination, charging documents state. Prosecutors say the couple's alternative plan was to "kill the person in the canyon and take their vehicle."
After the couple got into an argument, Kathleen Boutain walked away from her husband, who then approached Guo's vehicle and shot him, the charges state.
She is charged with criminal solicitation, a first-degree felony, plus two counts of criminal solicitation and three counts of theft by receiving stolen property, second-degree felonies.
