A committee unanimously decided Monday, Dec. 1, the rights of Patrick Hayes’ family have not been violated during the investigation of his death and the prosecution of the shooter.
Hayes was fatally shot outside Jordanelle State Park in September 2024.
Summit County resident Greg Kyle DeBoer was charged with felony obstruction of justice after he told investigators he shot Hayes, then buried the gun. He was not charged with the shooting itself.
In a complaint filed last month with the 4th District Victims’ Rights Committee, an attorney for Hayes’ family said county leaders have treated them with “silence, resistance or indifference.”
The complaint alleged Wasatch County leaders violated their rights to be informed about the legal process and to be treated with dignity and respect.
During the Monday meeting, Hayes’ fiancée, Sue Ann Kern, said she and her family felt like they’d been left to navigate a confusing court system without guidance or regular updates from county investigators and prosecutors.
Sheriff Jared Rigby and prosecutor McKay King both told the committee they had communicated openly with the Hayes family.
King said he didn’t want to keep talking with the family about his decision not to charge DeBoer with homicide.
“There were times when there were efforts by members of the family to rehash things that had already been discussed,” he said. “I just contacted through the victims’ advocate and said that I didn’t feel that having that discussion again would be beneficial to either side.”
Committee member Kevin Thurman, who’s a city attorney, said he had some concerns about how the attorney’s office had handled the case, especially the decision to extend a plea deal to DeBoer. He said he had looked through all the communications with the victim advocate.
“In each case, it seemed like it was kind of – maybe not an afterthought, but just like, ‘I’ve already made the decision, and we’re going to now meet with the victim to discuss my decision,’ rather than being involved in the process,” he said.
Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith, who’s on the committee, said he agrees Wasatch County may not have followed best practices, but he didn’t believe there was an actual rights violation.
After about an hour and a half of discussion, the victims’ rights committee said although the family’s experience was not ideal, the county had not clearly violated their rights.
Committee members encouraged the county to treat victims “as if their input matters.”
In a statement, Rigby said he welcomed the decision.
“We sorrow for the family and friends impacted so deeply here,” he said. “At the same time, we enforce the law equally and fairly.”
Meanwhile, in 4th District Court, DeBoer has pleaded not guilty to a single obstruction of justice charge. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for January.
