Author: KIFI

Curtis Jackson

PHOENIX (KIFI) – Lori Vallow Daybell gets frustrated with an Arizona judge during a pretrial hearing on Wednesday morning.

Vallow Daybell is accused of attempting to kill her niece’s ex-husband, Brandon Boudreaux.

Several motions were heard during Wednesday’s hearing, including the finalization of the witness list for the trial.

The trial is expected to begin on May 29 with jury selection.  

Judge Justin Beresky inquired about the relevance of the witnesses on Vallow Daybell’s list.

Her witness list includes several witnesses from previous trials, but they are not listed with the state.  They are Detective Jeffrey White, and Detective Moffitt.

“It will come apparent if they have to get up and testify, your honor, I will only call them if I need them,” Vallow-Daybell responded.

“They would have to be precluded if you can’t give me some minimal what relevant information they have, just saying that they’re relevant doesn’t make them relevant,” Judge Beresky responded.

“And this procedure that I have to say what each of my witnesses are relevant ahead of time And give my whole case and chief over to the State?” asked Lori.

“Yeah, that’s how it works, yes,” Judge Beresky said.

Following the review of court dates, Lori requested that Judge Beresky recuse himself from the trial because of bias.

When asked what bias he had, Vallow Daybell said, “Obviously, the personal bias that you’re showing right now and that you’ve shown on the FTR several times during the trial.”

Well, I don’t have any personal bias,” Judge Beresky said. “All right. I’ve overaccommodated you on when you have to disclose things. In fact, your expert should be summarily precluded today. And I haven’t done that.”

“You’ve denied every single one of my motions since for a year and a half they’ve been here. Every single one of my motions has been denied. And have any of those motions not have merit? You’ve denied every single motion,” Vallow Daybell said.

“I think I was here this morning about 15 minutes ago, when I granted your motion to meet with your attorneys over the lunch hour. I have granted other motions of yours,” Judge Beresky said.

“That’s the first motion that you’ve ever granted in my behalf,” said Vallow Daybell.  

Well, file motions that have a legal basis, and I might grant them,” Judge Beresky said.

“So, you’re saying none of my motions have had merit?” Vallow Daybell asked.

“Not, not many, no,” Judge Beresky said.

“And none of the motions that my first team, you’ve denied every one of my first team’s motions, you denied every one of my second teams’ motions. And now you have denied every one of my motions, until today,” Vallow Daybell said.

“I haven’t denied every one of your motions,” Judge Beresky said.

“Every single one of the motions was denied. Every single one of the second team’s emotions was denied. And all mine. So you didn’t come into this with any bias against me in the first place. Again, file a motion that has legal merit.

The discussion continued until Judge Beresky said it was enough discussed and will not recuse himself from the case.

Testimony in the trial is scheduled to begin on June 2 and go through June 13, 2025.

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Stephanie Lucas

Originally published online at ABC4 by Sorina Trauntvein.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The University of Utah Police announced that they have solved a missing person case that started more than 50 years ago.

Douglas Brick, a University of Utah student, left his dorm on October 12, 1973, and was never seen again. Douglas Brick’s family never stopped looking for him.

Last week, results from an out-of-state lab confirmed that skull fragments found in the foothills near the University of Utah matched one of Douglas Brick’s living relatives.

His older brother, David Brick, spoke with ABC4 in 2022. He said that Douglas Brick, a Pocatello, Idaho native, had traveled to Utah to get a degree. David Brick was in Europe when he got the news of his brother’s disappearance.

“There was a lot of things going on,” David Brick said in 2022. “He had some girlfriend, and he broke up with the girlfriend. We really don’t know why he just took off and disappeared.”

The university’s investigation

In 2022, a new face joined the University of Utah Police Department. A crime data analyst, Nikol Mitchell, discovered the cold case during her work in Utah’s Statewide Information and Analysis Center (SIAC). It appeared that the case had been lost for at least 20 years, according to the university.

She told Major Heather Sturzenegger, and she reopened a new case, making it a goal to find what had happened to Douglas Brick.

“For me, I just wanted to try to bring closure to the family and solve the case so they can have some peace,” Sturzenegger is quoted in the release. “I have always had a really strong feeling that we would be able to solve this case.”

When Sturzenegger was promoted, Detective Jon Dial was assigned the case. The two worked together to put together what might have happened.

Claims floated around online about where Douglas Brick had gone. ABC4 previously found a forum post that said he was leaving to start a new life and didn’t want anyone to know. Police said they found leads that reported him fleeing the country or disappearing in the foothills behind the U.

During their search, Dial and Stuzenegger found that Douglas Brick’s sister had contacted the police in 2018 about his case. Dial flew to California to meet with her and take a DNA sample in hopes that it would bring up something in the national system.

Unfortunately, nothing came of the sample in 2022.

In a surprising coincidence, Sturzenegger was attending a doctor’s appointment with her daughter in December 2022. She was speaking with the doctor casually about what she did and happened to mention the case they were investigating.

“That’s strange, when I was a student at the U in 1973, my roommate went missing,” the doctor said. This doctor was Steve Warren, and he was the one who initially reported Douglas Brick missing back in 1973.

Warren had reported the disappearance, called his family, and discovered Douglas Brick’s abandoned car. This confirmed that police were searching the foothills in the right area, evidence that had been lost to time.

“I can still picture him in his glasses, going to class with his hard-cased briefcase,” Warren says. “I can still see all of his belongings in the back seat of his car — I never forgot one thing about it.”

No discoveries were made for roughly a year following that. Sturzenegger kept that case open, in hopes that something would come through.

In October 2024, hunters found two fragments of a human skull roughly six miles above the white U painted on the hill, near the summit of Black Mountain. University police were permitted to send the bone to an out-of-state lab to see if it was Douglas Brick.

After five months, the University of Utah student who had been missing for more than 50 years was no longer missing. The lab confirmed that the DNA evidence matched 99.9%.

“My heart was pounding. I was shaking. I was thinking, am I reading this right? Is this him?” Sturzenegger is quoted in the release.

Dial and Sturzenegger flew to California and informed the family. The family released the following statement.

“We thank the hunter who found him 6 months ago and reported it immediately, Detective Jon Dial and Major Heather Sturzenegger, search and rescue volunteers, and all the individuals and agencies that were involved in this case. We are requesting privacy during this time of transition.”

Family of Douglas Brick

A chance psychic encounter

Donna Brick, Douglas’ mother, passed away in May 2010. She remembers seeing him for the last time in September 1973, when he left Idaho to continue his education at the U.

Following his disappearance, Donna Brick did her best to find answers about what happened. She was in contact with the Salt Lake City Police Department, according to David Brick, and went to his dorm room at the university after he went missing.

“The only thing that I found as strange was my mother claimed she went down to clean his room. She found an empty box of bullets,” David Brick recalled in a 2022 interview with ABC4.

According to a press release from the university, a memorial was held for Douglas Brick in 1990. That same year, Donna Brick wrote an entry in her journal that Detective Dial says he “will never forget.”

She wrote about an encounter with a store clerk who told her she was a psychic. The clerk intrigued Donna Brick, and she asked her if she could tell her what had happened to her son.

According to the release, Donna Brick wrote that the psychic told her that Douglas Brick had gone to the foothills above the University of Utah and was contemplating ending his life. She claimed that he was afraid because it was dark, and slipped and fell.

“Where the skull was located, the terrain I was traversing as part of the search, it is extremely steep and loose on both sides, and I was having a hard time in the daylight keeping my footing under me and figuring out where I was going,” Dial is quoted in the release.

Although the case is solved, the University of Utah Police are planning to go back to the area and check for any additional evidence now that the weather is warm.

“I felt a very personal connection to Douglas throughout this investigation,” Dial stated in the release. “In a way, it’s hard to explain. There was a push and a connection that I felt was from Douglas to this case specifically, in moving it along and being persistent. I have felt very strongly that I will always have Douglas in the back of my mind, and his family.”

Marcos Ortiz contributed to this report.

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Seth Ratliff

REXBURG, Idaho (KIFI) — Travelers on US-20 in Rexburg should anticipate longer commutes over the next few weeks due to planned lane restrictions and closures by the Idaho Department of Transportation (ITD) for sign installation.

Starting Wednesday, May 14, ITD contractors will begin drilling deep foundations for large overhead signs as the final touches for the Diverging Diamond Interchanges completed last fall. During this work, there will be lane restrictions at exits 332 and 333. Traffic control measures will be in place, and the road will remain fully open whenever possible, according to ITD.

Exit 333 in Rexburg will be fully closed overnight on Monday, May 19, and Tuesday, May 20, from 7 PM to 7 AM as ITD contractors work through the night to ensure traffic can flow normally during the daytime hours.

“Large equipment, including a drill rig to reach the required 18-foot foundation depth, will need to be in the roadway underneath US-20 for work at both locations, reaching across and over the median concrete barriers,” stated ITD in a press release. “To keep everyone safe and be able to swiftly clean up any water or debris that the drilling creates, lane restrictions and closures have been deemed essential.”

“The foundation for the bridge and cantilever posts that will hold the large overhead signs has to be particularly deep,” Resident Engineer Curtis Calderwood stated. “We want them to be secure and have integrity in the wind. This is pretty well the last holdout for getting the exits truly finished.”

For more information on the restrictions and traffic updates, click HERE.

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Ariel Jensen

CHALLIS, Idaho (KIFI) — Patrick Shelton is the man who disappeared near Challis after heading into the mountains to gather firewood and never returned. His death is considered a homicide, but his body has not yet been found. Shannon Garrison has been friends with Shelton since high school.

“It’s Patty. He’s a great guy,” Garrison said. “He’s honest. He would give you the shirt off his back. He was just amazing, and a good person.” 

She says suspect Alan Bruce was the last person to see Shelton alive.

“They had a friendship that just recently within the last couple of months turned south,” she said. “They started fighting, arguing, having a disagreement and what not between the two of them.”

Police arrested Bruce on Monday. He faces charges of murder and felony destruction of evidence.

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Phillip Willis

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — A fundraiser is being held for the Perez family in honor of their son, Victor, on May 17th. Victor Perez was shot and killed by Pocatello Police on April 5th of this year.

Those wishing to participate should bring a car or bike to C&G Sales and Service, located on 3950 South 5th Ave. in Pocatello at 10 a.m. Decorations on vehicles to remember Victor are welcome.

It’s $10 to participate in the caravan that will make their way through town starting at C&G Sales and Service, going under the Center St. underpass, down Harrison, past the Perez household, out to the North Exchange, down Hawthorn to Chubbuck road, and back to the starting point.

When participants get back to C&G Sales and Service, there will be a barbecue for $5 a plate.

All proceeds will go to the Perez family.

“It’s to help them through their grieving, [and] help them to still be able to put food on the table,” says Adam Girard, owner of C&G Sales and Service, and organizer of the event. “[There’s] not really a stipulation on it. If they need it for a power bill, or whatever they need to keep going through this time.”

To make donations to the Perez family, C&G Sales and Services invites those interested to call the following number: (208) 240-1683.

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David Barrington

AMMON, Idaho (KIFI) — The weather today might not feel like summer is on the way, but the city of Ammon is going forward with maintenance on their outdoor swimming pool.

“It takes quite the production,” said Parks and Recreation Director Tyler Draney. “We drained it yesterday. We had a pressure washer company come in and clean everything out for us, so we drained it out with pumps. And then, the pressure washers come in, bleach it down, wash it, and we do whatever repairs we need to do.”

Tuesday, the city’s fire department filled the pool after it was drained and cleaned. They even invited the community over to watch and celebrated the refresh with a traditional first plunge. About 30 people showed up.

“The fire department helps us fill it really fast,” Draney said. “They have the equipment to get the water from the city mains into our pool. Otherwise, it would take us about a day and a half to fill it ourselves.” 

This pool holds 110,000 gallons. It took them about an hour and 40 minutes from empty to full. The heated pool will to the public on June 7 along with the splash pad. 

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Phillip Willis

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) — The City of Pocatello held a town hall Tuesday night to discuss summer plans relating to the Library and the Parks and Recreation Department.

Plans included new aquatic programs for seniors and youth, and new reading programs for all ages.

But when the time came for the council to listen to comments from members of the community, some chose to speak about Victor Perez, an autistic teenager who was shot and killed by Pocatello Police on April 5th.

“We’re still wanting the remaining body cam footage of the two officers that were probably wearing them at the time of the April 5th shooting of Victor Perez,” says Steven Adams, a Pocatello resident. “And secondly, we had a question as to whether or not the four officers involved have been placed back into active duty status.”

This question went unanswered by the council.

“When somebody makes a call to the police department, the dispatcher should ask a very important question. Do any of the people involved in the incident that you’re reporting on have a documented disability or mental health issue?'” proposed Mike Riley, a Pocatello resident with a Doctorate in Political Science.

Members of the council invited Dr. Riley to send them his proposals via email. However, Dr. Riley felt they did not truly consider his proposed policy. Doctor Riley intends to make this policy a national conversation.

For more information on this meeting, please visit pocatello.gov.

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News Team

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) — The Idaho Falls Animal Shelter rescued several puppies Wednesday after receiving reports of a group seen in a field at the corner of 17th and Skyline Drive.

A post on the shelter’s Facebook page reported that the shelter was able to recover three of the dogs, but unfortunately, one of them did not survive. The shelter directors are uncertain if they managed to secure all the dogs.

“We are not sure if this is all of them or if there is one lone puppy out there, hiding from the world. We cannot find any others, but ask that if you are in the area, please keep your eyes open,” said the Shelter Directors in the post. “We are not asking you to go into the field to look, but if you see one out there and can coax it to you, please do.  We are hoping that this is all of them. The folks who live in a house across the street are keeping an eye out as well. Just in case.”

The shelter has cleaned up the rescued dogs, but says they are not available for adoption yet.

“Please keep your eye on our Facebook page for availability,” said the shelter directors in the post. For more information, click HERE.

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News Team

UPDATE: 3:20 PM, MAY 19, 2025

FORT HALL, Idaho (KIFI) — The Fort Hall Police Department has reportedly arrested a known sex offender, 36-year-old Eli Mosho.

Police notified the public they were looking for Mosho, who was traveling with a 16-year-old female runaway, on May 13, 2025, in a post on the department’s Facebook page.

According to the updated post, the police have located the juvenile runaway.

“We would like to thank the community for their assistance with this matter,” said police in the post.

ORIGINAL:

FORT HALL, Idaho (KIFI) — Police in Fort Hall are asking for the public’s help locating a known sex offender, 36-year-old Eli Mosho.

Courtesy, Fort Hall Police

The Fort Hall Police Department shared a post on their Facebook page indicating that Mosho is currently traveling with a 16-year-old female runaway. He is described as 5 feet 9 inches tall, with black hair and brown eyes. The 36-year-old also has several tattoos on his left hand, wrist, back, and both legs, according to the post.

Anyone with information about Mosho’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Fort Hall Police Department at (208)238-4000, their local law enforcement agency, or call 911.

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Sam Ross

SODA SPRINGS, Idaho (KIFI)– Rocky Mountain Power representatives cite erosion as a major concern for the Soda Springs area’s Alexander Reservoir, prompting changes to recreational access this summer.

The Alexander Reservoir and connected ‘Soda Development’ hydroelectric dam are owned by Rocky Mountain Power’s parent company, Pacificorp, and representatives say they have been monitoring increased erosion of the reservoir over the past three years.

The recent, advanced erosion coincides, Rocky Mountain Power representatives said, with an increased use of wake boats and other ballast watercraft on the reservoir.

“We’ve become concerned that the bank erosion has continued to occur, and we’ve lost, in places here on this bank, five to six feet of shoreline,” said David Eskelsen, company spokesman for Rocky Mountain Power. “It’s generally the result of the increased wake and wave action on this relatively soft shoreline.”

Eskelsen said the erosion is starting to impact the quality of the water coming from the reservoir and degrade the wildlife buffer zone, Rocky Mountain Power is required to keep around the reservoir as part of their land use contract.

Rocky Mountain Power plans to ban the use of wake boats on the reservoir starting this summer and monitor whether erosion conditions improve.

A public meeting will be held at the Second Bridge boat access point parking lot on May 21 from 4 to 6 p.m., where members of the public can meet with Rocky Mountain Power representatives to discuss the changes and future plans for the reservoir.

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