A man who hid a five-year-old neighbor's body in his cellar
while hundreds of Salt Lake City searchers looked for the missing child has
pleaded guilty to her kidnapping and murder and has been sentenced to life
in prison without parole. Craig Gregerson pleaded guilty in a deal to avoid
the death penalty.
Destiny Norton (pictured in family photo) disappeared July 16 while playing in her backyard and hundreds of volunteers searched her neighborhood for more than a week for the missing girl. A $30,000 reward was offered in the case.
Gregerson, 20, admitted that he lured the girl into his yard by leaving a gate open. When she tried to scream for help, he put his hand over her mouth until her body went limp, he said in a statement after his arrest.
In a letter to Destiny's family, Gregerson apologized for
killing the five-year-old and said he hated himself for sexually assaulting
her corpse. "Her death was not the worst part. What I did after she was dead
was unexcusable, sick and disgusting," he wrote in the letter.
Prosecutors said the offered the plea deal to spare the family more pain. "They want it over," Robert Stott said. "They want some peace. They want to be left alone. And they want to make sure Gregerson will never be able to harm anybody else."
See Also:
Utah Man Guilty in 5-Year-Old's Death
Earlier Article:
Missing Girl Found in
Neighbor's Basement
Forum:
Discuss
The Destiny Norton Case
More Information:
Missing Children and Adults
Comments