LAYTON, Utah — An arrest report for a Utah man who admitted to killing his wife and in-laws sheds new light on what happened before the deadly shootings.
Jeremy Lake Bailey, 34, was booked Friday into the Davis County Jail on three 1st-degree felony counts of aggravated murder, three 1st-degree counts of felony discharge of a firearm, and three misdemeanors of aggravated animal cruelty.
According to police, Bailey called emergency dispatch around 9:45 a.m. and said he had killed three of his family members. He also "reported there will be a murder suicide," according to court documents. Officers responded and took him into custody after telling him over the phone to exit the house and back up toward them.
Officers then went into the home, located at 1832 E. Gentile Street in Layton, and confirmed that there were three people dead from apparent gunshot wounds. Bailey also told police he had killed three of the family's four dogs, which officers confirmed as they swept the home.
The three deceased individuals were Bailey's wife Anastasia Stevens, his father-in-law Donald Stevens, and his mother-in-law Becky Stevens. Bailey and his wife lived in the house, and police said it appeared his wife's parents were visiting from out-of-state.
In his phone call to police dispatch, Bailey said he had given his firearms to a friend to be stored in their garage "because he was thinking of doing this a few days ago." Investigators contacted this friend, who confirmed that Bailey gave him the guns.
However, according to the police report, he said had a 9mm handgun that belonged to one of the victims, but he forgot about it until the day of the triple shooting.
Police obtained a warrant and searched Bailey's home, where they found a handgun, a box of ammunition with cartridges missing, and spent shell casings near each of the victims, including the dogs.
When police searched Bailey's truck, they found a receipt for a purchase of ammunition. The arrest report also says investigators obtained surveillance camera footage that showed him buying the ammo around 9 a.m. In his phone conversation with police, Bailey estimated that he killed the three victims about 20 minutes before calling.
The arrest report states that one of the victims (not specified) contacted a therapist earlier that morning. The message reportedly said: "I think we may have a very real problem. So I uncovered [a] load of his shady s***. And it's really bad. Like scary. I think it may be time for legal interference I know I definitely need to find an attorney and He's still at the house so I can't talk."
Neighbors told FOX 13 News that they heard Jeremy Bailey and Anastasia Stevens were having marital issues, and Stevens' parents were there to help them navigate those issues. Police could not confirm this as of Friday afternoon, however.
While Bailey was in a holding cell at the Layton Police Department and before he was taken to the county jail, police said he was heard saying "I can't believe I did it."
Bailey declined any questioning about the incident without a lawyer present, but police said he "made an utterance" that he would rather get the death penalty than spend his life in prison.
He is being held without bail.
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Resources for domestic violence victims/prevention (free, 24/7, confidential):
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition
- Hotline: 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- Online help: udvc.org
- National Domestic Violence Hotline
- 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
- Online live chat: thehotline.org
- If you or someone else is in immediate danger, or in an emergency, call 9-1-1 immediately.
