GRANTSVILLE, Utah — A Grantsville teenager will serve at least 100 years in prison after being sentenced for killing his mother and three siblings in 2020.
During sentencing Wednesday, 19-year-old C.J. Haynie received sentences of 25 years to life for each of the deaths and was ordered to pay $28,000 in restitution.
In January 2020, Haynie, then 16 years old, shot and killed his 52-year-old mother, Consuelo Alejandra Haynie, along with 15-year-old Alexis Haynie, 14-year-old Matthew Haynie and 12-year-old Milan Haynie. The attempted aggravated murder charge stemmed from Haynie shooting his father in the leg when returned home the same evening as the murders.
Haynie spoke Wednesday, admitting to his guilt and apologizing for the murders despite the teen having never explained why he killed his family.
“I want to apologize for what I did to this community," he said. "I cannot fix the horrible crimes I have committed that I have caused the death of my siblings and my mother's injuries to my father that I can't ask for forgiveness or my crimes and mistakes. I want to make sure that people understand that my mistakes in my past are something that will not that I will not do again.”
Scott Broadhead, Tooele County Attorney however, argued the murders were planned and methodical and that Haynie has shown little to no remorse for what he did.
“Just about every 16-year-old in the history of this world has decided not to kill their parents," he said. "Just saying it's because he's immature frankly isn't good enough.”
The first four counts related to the murders will run consecutively, while the attempted murder sentence will run concurrently, meaning Haynie will likely spend the rest of his life behind bars.
During the hearing, it was announced that the Board of Pardons will determine the specifics of the prison terms, including whether the teenager will ever have a chance at parole.
“Part of the immense sadness here is because you not only deprived your family members of their lives in such a tragic and terrible manner, but you also deprived yourself of your life with them," said Judge Teresa l. Welch.
Haynie's attorney, Richard Van Wagoner, said his client has show miraculous growth over the last few years.
“I’m generally a glass-half-empty person, but I do have hope for him because I’ve seen so much progress from where he was,” he said. "Are we disappointed? Yes, am I surprised? No.”
Following the hearing, the Grantsville Police Department released a statement on the sentence.
"We are grateful to all the State, County, and local agencies that assisted our investigative team with this complex and emotional case," the department wrote. "We appreciate the hard work and long hours put in this case by all the investigators and the prosecutors office. We are grateful that a resolution was reached in the Tooele County District Court and we hope this can help the family and community start the healing process."
