Charges against Austin Jeffrey Boutain — arrested in connection with the Monday night fatal shooting of a University of Utah student — have not been filed as of Friday morning, and likely will not come until next week.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office has asked for an extension of the statutory 72-hour limit on incarceration without formal charges being filed, Utah court officials said Friday.
Boutain, 24, of Mississippi, was arrested Tuesday afternoon at the downtown Salt Lake City Main Library after police conducted an overnight search for him in the foothills by the University of Utah.
He is being held without bail at the Salt Lake County jail on suspicion of aggravated murder, attempted murder and firearms violations.
Boutain allegedly shot and killed 23-year-old ChenWei Guo, of China, near the mouth of Red Butte Canyon while trying to steal Guo’s car.
Guo’s parents arrived from Beijing on Wednesday to meet with University officials and representatives from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, University spokesman Christopher Nelson confirmed.
ChenWei Guo (Photo courtesy University of Utah)
The parents released a statement through the university Friday night, saying they were “devastated by the loss.”
Guo “brought immense joy into our lives and the lives of all who knew him,” his parents said. “It is hard to capture in words his happy, positive outlook on life.” Guo‘s parents said he’d aspired to help “others to feel better about themselves.”
“He was outgoing, adventurous, highly intellectual and a deeply faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.“
The parents expressed gratitude for the experiences their son had at the U. and for the support community members offered them.
”We respectfully ask for privacy at this time as we grieve our beloved son,” they wrote. They requested that Guo’s LDS funeral be kept private, a statement from a church spokesman said.
Boutain also briefly kidnapped a female friend of Gou’s, and fired shots at her as she escaped by fleeing on foot, police have said.
Boutain and his 23-year-old wife, Kathleen Elizabeth Rose Boutain, also are in being held in connection with the suspicious death of a man in Golden, Colo.
Police said Austin Boutain confessed to cutting 63-year-old Mitchell Bradford Ingle’s throat before taking three guns and a pickup truck from his home, according to court documents obtained Friday by The Associated Press.
The documents say Kathleen Boutain told police her husband killed Ingle on Oct. 27, planning to take his trailer home. She said Austin Boutain was upset by Ingle flirting with her.
Kathleen Boutain
Authorities believe the Boutains had been camping in Red Butte Canyon since Saturday evening or early Sunday morning, University of Utah police chief Dale Brophy said Friday. The two told police they had previously spent time in the Salt Lake area.
Salt Lake City officers asked Golden police to check on a man who apparently owned a green 2000 pickup truck Austin Boutain is suspected of driving.
Golden police found Ingle’s body at an RV park Tuesday — four days after Austin Boutain allegedly assaulted him. A preliminary investigation indicated that Ingle had died a few days before being found, police said. His body had obvious signs of trauma, according to Golden police, and his death has been ruled a homicide. On Friday, warrants were issued for their arrest in Colorado.
Ingle’s family released a statement Friday saying he was “a loving father, brother, husband, grandfather, and friend to all.
“He enjoyed skiing, boating, four wheeling, and camping. We will miss his contagious laugh, humor, and easygoing personality. He was taken from us unexpectedly and will forever be in our memories. We would like to thank everyone for their gifts, thoughts, and prayers.”
(Courtesy photo) Mitchell Bradford Ingle
After the Boutains apparently killed Ingle, they allegedly drove his pickup truck to Utah and gave it to a homeless couple. The pickup was still missing as of Friday, police said.
Also missing is a .44-caliber Ruger handgun believed used to kill Guo. Boutain told police he hid the gun in a crevice of a brick wall near the downtown homeless shelter.
Golden police have also reported that three weapons are missing from Ingles’ RV, but could not confirm specifics of what those weapons are or whether they were used in Monday night’s shooting.
Colorado investigators plan to recommend charges of first-degree murder, robbery and motor vehicle theft, according to Golden police.
Kathleen Boutain was booked into the Salt Lake County jail on Tuesday morning on suspicion of theft by receiving stolen property and drug possession charges. Police said she had prescription bottle of unlabeled generic Ambien and other drug paraphernalia.
News outlets in Alabama and Ohio have reported that Austin Boutain has previously been charged with public disturbances, theft, evading police, drug-related charges and a sex offense.
