CEDAR CITY, Utah — A man who pleaded guilty as a teenager in the death of Officer Cody Brotherson in 2016 is now going to prison for assaulting a fellow inmate while in juvenile detention.
Ryan David Dykhuizen, 21, was identified Tuesday by the Iron County Attorney's Office as the third then-teenager convicted for Brotherson's death. The 25-year-old West Valley City Police officer was laying out spike strips when he was hit and killed three teen boys fleeing from police in a stolen car. Dykhuizen was 15 at the time.
According to the county attorney, Dykhuizen was being held in the Southwest Utah Youth Center for crimes he committed as a minor, including his role in Brotherson's death.
Dykhuizen was sentenced to juvenile detention until he turned 21, which was the maximum sentence for a minor.
However, he committed the latest assault on Feb. 8 — less than a month before he would have been released. Police say he attacked a fellow inmate, which sparked a fight, and then he put the victim in a "tight chokehold for an extended period of time." He pleaded guilty to aggravated assault by a prisoner on April 25 and was sentenced Monday to 1-15 years in the Utah State Prison.
"During sentencing, Deputy County Attorney Chase Troutner argued for Dykhuizen to serve the full prison sentence by describing his history of violence against rival gang members both before and after his time in detention," an announcement from the county attorney's office read. “Every time he’s given a chance, he proves himself to be a danger to the community."
Prosecutors said the judge who sentenced Dykhuizen "said that he would recommend to the Board of Pardons that they take his entire history into account when deciding if he should be released on parole."
"When violent, repeat offenders like Mr. Dykhuizen are incarcerated, communities are safer," the press release continued. "He has shown time and time again that he has no regard for the safety of others and prison is the appropriate place for him at this time."
Lawrence Boggs and Christopher Boggs, two brothers who were convicted and sentenced alongside Dykhuizen, were released from custody early because of a loophole in the justice system. After multiple assaults while in custody, they were kicked out of the juvenile court system. Then once in the adult system, they were both released.
That loophole was fixed in the 2021 Utah Legislative Session, and the Boggs brothers have since been arrested again for other crimes.
According to the Utah Department of Corrections, Lawrence Boggs is currently on parole and Christopher Boggs is serving time in the Uintah County Jail.
