Utah Prosecutors Present Video of Suspect's Post-Shooting Remarks in Court

Utah prosecutors on Thursday played video and audio from an interview with the roommate of the 23-year-old man charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 shooting death of a conservative activist at Utah Valley University. The roommate, who was also the suspect's romantic partner, told investigators the suspect paced their apartment after the shooting and said he wished he had not done it.

Prosecutors said the roommate also described the suspect saying he planned to confess to his parents or turn himself in.

Prosecutors showed text messages in which the suspect wrote that he had enough of the victim's hatred and that some hate could not be negotiated out. Another message referenced engraving messages on bullets. The roommate confirmed in the April 20 interview that the suspect had discussed engraving text on bullets ahead of a described family hunting trip.

Prosecutors also displayed a photo of a bolt-action rifle wrapped in a towel that investigators said was recovered from a wooded area near the amphitheater.

Defense attorneys argued against public release of the roommate's statements, saying prosecutors would label them a confession and harm the suspect's right to a fair trial. Attorneys for the victim's family and news media urged the judge to release the material.

"To not be transparent, to not be open and let the world see what happened will create doubt and distrust in the judicial system," the family lawyer told the judge. The victim's widow attended the hearing. The family issued a statement before the proceedings describing the victim as a husband, son, brother, friend, and father whose death has affected their lives and the lives of his children.

State District Judge Tony F. Graf Jr. will decide at the end of the five-day preliminary hearing whether there is enough evidence to proceed to trial.