CEDAR CITY – The suspect in the Cedar City double-homicide case has been charged with two counts of aggravated murder.
Sgt. Jimmy Roden, public information officer for the Cedar City Police Department, said in a statement that Thad Robertson, 54, has been charged with the aggravated murders of Jeffery Land Hardy, 52, and Diann Bailey, 59.
Bailey and Hardy were involved in a shooting in Cedar City on Feb. 15, which left Hardy dead and Bailey seriously injured. Police responded to a call concerning a possibly suicidal individual at the address of the shooting incident. While en route, officers were advised shots had been fired.
After arriving at the scene police found Robertson outside of the house and later detained and taken into custody as a person of interest in the case. When officers entered the home where the incident took place, they discovered the deceased Hardy, who had been shot multiple times, and the injured Bailey who had been shot in the head. Bailey was treated locally and then airlifted to a hospital in Murray for additional care. She died as a result of her injuries Monday.
Initially Robertson was booked into jail on counts of possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a third degree felony; possession of methamphetamines, a second degree felony; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a class A misdemeanor.
At approximately 5 p.m., Wednesday, investigators charged Robertson with two counts of aggravated murder, which is a capital offense. The charge was aggravated due to the fact the people were killed during the criminal episode.
Penalties for a capital offense charge of aggravated murder may include the death penalty, Roden said.
Note: Persons charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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