West Jordan • It was a path the woman had run hundreds of times before.
And that March 19 day was a beautiful one.
So the 50-year-old woman intended to run about 6 miles on one of her favorite trails, a bike route that ran alongside the TRAX line near Sandy. But about 2 miles in, it turned into a fight for her life.
The woman testified Tuesday in 3rd District Juvenile Court that she was flagged down by a young man on a scooter who asked to use her phone.
“It seemed like he needed help,” the woman said. “So I stopped.”
She quickly realized, however, that the stranger was only pretending to make a call — and demanded her phone back, then reached toward him.
“That’s when, in a split second, all of a sudden, I was grabbed and pulled down into the ravine,” the woman testified.
Then there was a scuffle. She told the stranger several times, “I was just trying to be nice.” He punched her, she testified, and began strangling her. He told her she was going to die that day.
She testified that as he strangled her, she squeaked out, “I will do whatever you want.”
“I couldn’t fathom this was happening,” the woman said. “I could not believe that there was a chance that I would not get back to my kids that day.”
The woman testified that the attacker loosened his grip and proceeded to violently sexually assault her three separate times.
During one assault, the woman said she felt like she was going to die as her attacker again held his hands tightly to her throat and she lost consciousness.
“I was so quickly passing out and so desperate for air,” the woman said. “And again, realizing, ‘I cannot believe this is how my kids are going to lose their mother. I cannot believe this is how it ends for me.’ ”
The woman testified that she tried to run away from her attacker several times, and on one attempt, he hit her over the head with a bottle, shoved glass near her eye and threatened to slit her throat. She was finally able to escape on her third attempt. The beaten woman found a passerby, who called 911.
The woman’s testimony came during a preliminary hearing for a 15-year-old who authorities believe attacked her that March afternoon.
The boy, who has been held at the Salt Lake Valley Detention Center since his March arrest, has been charged in juvenile court with attempted aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery and three counts of aggravated sexual assault — all first-degree felonies.
Prosecutors are seeking to have the boy’s case moved to the adult court system, meaning he could serve a possible sentence of up to life in prison if convicted of any of the charges. If his case remains in the youth system, the maximum penalty he could face is a stay in a secure juvenile detention center until age 21.
After hearing testimony Tuesday, 3rd District Juvenile Court Judge Renee Jimenez ruled there was enough evidence for the case to move forward to trial. The next step will be another court hearing later this summer where Jimenez will hear evidence about the juvenile’s mental health and psychological evaluations, as well as other testimony. She will then decide whether the teen’s case should stay in juvenile court or be moved to the adult system.
The Salt Lake Tribune generally does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault and does not identify youth defendants unless the case has been moved to the adult court system.
After the attack, police found surveillance video from two TRAX stations and a train showing a male who matched the description the woman gave police of her attacker. The images were forwarded to law enforcement at two area high schools, according to court papers, and a resource officer from Jordan High School recognized the teen, who he said regularly rides a scooter. School surveillance video showed the teen wearing clothing that matched the description the woman gave police, according to court documents.
At the teen’s home, police say they found bloody clothing that had strands of hair that matched the alleged victim’s. DNA found on the woman after the attack matched the juvenile defendant, according to testimony.
