Booking photo for Teresa R. Clark (Courtesy: Cache County Jail).
LOGAN — A 38-year-old former Millville woman has confessed to attempted murder, for trying to help another woman attempt suicide multiple times more than two years ago. Teresa R. Clark accepted a plea deal that could still send her to prison.
Clark appeared in 1st District Court Monday morning. She pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted aggravated murder, a first-degree felony; and two counts of aggravated cruelty to an animal, a class A misdemeanor.
Public defender Mike McGinnis explained that as part of the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to reduce the felonies to second-degrees at the time Clark is sentenced. Also, they will ask for the sentences to run concurrently. The conditions mean the defendant could be sentenced up to 15 years in prison instead of life.
Clark spoke only briefly during Monday’s hearing. She explained that she was willing to waive her right to an upcoming jury trial in exchange for her guilty plea.
In June 2017, Clark called 911 from a Logan hotel room. She told police that she had found her friend unresponsive inside the room. Officers later determined that the defendant had tried to help the woman take her life several times unsuccessfully.
Inside the hotel room, detectives also found two dogs that were deceased. They later learned that Clark had killed the animals.
The case was delayed for several years, partly because the victim died from an unrelated matter. It was also postponed again so Clark could undergo a mental health evaluation. She was later determined competent to stand trial.
During Monday’s court appearance, Judge Thomas Willmore scheduled sentencing for March 17. He also ordered probation agents to complete a pre-sentence report about Clark’s criminal history.
Clark is currently out of jail after posting $20,000 bail. She is currently living in Salt Lake.
will@cvradio.com