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Nully, Resty,

We live 6 blocks from this when it happened Monday, and we heard the sirens responding.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Live-in boyfriend suspect in Orem shooting

KATIE ASHTON - Daily Herald

Police say the woman shot to death Monday night was 40-year-old Tonja Marie Nash and that the suspect is her live-in boyfriend, 50-year-old Keith L. Morton.

Nash was shot twice in the back, one of those at close range, with a 12-gauge shotgun in front of her 8-year-old son. She and her two sons were trying to flee the home they shared with Morton at the time of the shooting, police say.

Morton could be charged with aggravated murder -- a capital offense that would make him eligible for the death penalty. He was arrested on a murder charge.

"Under the law, if someone commits murder and at the same time puts another person at a great risk of death," the charge could be raised to aggravated murder, prosecutor Chad Grunander said.

Police say Morton shot Nash while she was running out of their home at 1183 W. 680 South in Orem, after a domestic dispute. The home is near the Utah Valley State College campus.

According to court documents, a witness reported seeing Morton chase after Nash as she ran from the home, and then the witness heard two gunshots and saw Nash fall to the ground. After the shooting, according to the witness reports, Morton then kicked Nash in the stomach and ran back into the home.
Still armed, Morton remained inside and called his mother and told her about the shooting, according to the statement.

Nash's 11-year-old son called 911 from a neighbor's phone and told police his mother's boyfriend had shot her, Edwards said. When officers arrived, they found Nash on the sidewalk of the northeast corner of the property. She was taken by paramedics to Timpanogos Regional Hospital, where she later died.
After securing the scene and transporting Nash to the hospital, officers negotiated with Morton for about 15 to 20 minutes, at which point he surrendered, Edwards said.

According to the probable cause statement, upon hearing Nash had died from the gunshot wounds, Morton told officers he didn't mean to kill her.

Morton appeared in 4th District Court Tuesday morning via video from the Utah County Jail. The 50-year-old's bail has been set at $750,000 cash only.

The victim's children were taken to a safe location after the shooting by a victim's advocate working with the police department, Edwards said, until their father, who came from Arizona, was able to pick them up.

Police say Nash moved to Orem from Arizona after meeting Morton on the Internet. The suspect is believed to have been living in Orem since at least 2002, Edwards said. Looking into the couple's history, Edwards said someone made a 911 call on Nov. 24, 2005, from the couple's previous address. When officers arrived, they found a domestic violence dispute had been going on and Morton allegedly tried strangling Nash, Edwards said.

Morton will appear in 4th District Court for his first felony appearance next week.

Statement from Morton family: "We want to extend our deepest sympathy to the Nash family, and especially to the children. Keith has been struggling with mental health issues for a long time, but that in no way justifies his actions. There are many victims in this tragedy and our prayers go out to all."

This story appeared in The Daily Herald on page D1.