Utah family massacre survivor: Son, 16, intended ‘to kill everyone in the house except himself’

GRANTSVILLE, Utah — A Utah teenager suspected of lying in wait before shooting five members of his family will be tried as an adult, multiple news outlets reported.

On Wednesday, the Tooele County District Attorney’s Office charged Colin Jeffery “CJ” Haynie, 16, with four counts of aggravated murder, one count of attempted aggravated murder and five counts of discharge of a firearm, KSL reported.

The charges came five days after authorities discovered the bodies of Consuelo Alejandra Haynie, 52; Milan Haynie, 12; Alexis Haynie, 15; and Matthew Haynie, 14; in the family’s Grantsville home.

CJ Haynie is also accused of shooting his father, Colin Haynie, in the leg and striking him in the head during an ensuing struggle, but the younger Haynie ultimately agreed to travel with his father to the hospital where he was arrested without incident.

The attacks occurred over the course of about five hours beginning around 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, KUTV reported.

According to charging documents, the elder Haynie told the defendant during their confrontation his mother “would be sad if the defendant killed him,” but CJ Haynie told his father “that his mother and other siblings were already dead,” KSL reported.

According to the TV station, prosecutors outlined in charging documents how CJ Haynie stayed home from school on Jan. 17 and waited for each member of his family to return home before systematically shooting them to death upon arrival. Colin Haynie also told authorities that CJ Haynie told him after the attacks that “his intention was to kill everyone in the house except himself.”

An older brother, 24-year-old Danny Haynie, was not home during the shootings and is unharmed, KSL reported.

Tooele County District Attorney Scott Broadhead confirmed during a Wednesday press conference that because CJ Haynie is a juvenile, he is not eligible for the death penalty under Utah law. Instead, he could face life in prison without the possibility of parole, KUTV reported

Broadhead said CJ Haynie has not cooperated with police since his arrest, the station reported.

According to KSL, funeral services for the victims are scheduled for noon today, and CJ Haynie will make his first court appearance Monday afternoon.

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