ST. GEORGE — A 5th District Court judge sentenced a local man to serve a minimum of 15 years to life in prison Wednesday for stabbing a St. George woman to death last year.
Judge G. Michael Westfall ordered Kevin Ray Mcatlin, to serve his sentence in the Utah State Penitentiary.
During sentencing Westfall said this was a particularly “heinous case.” He closed by saying, “It is my recommendation that you serve as much of that life sentence as possible.”
The punishment was handed down Wednesday after a jury found the 29-year-old St. George man guilty of first-degree felony murder following a five-day trial in April.
Read more: Jury finds Mcatlin guilty of first-degree murder in stabbing death of St. George woman
During the trial, Mcatlin testified to the events leading up to, and including, when he stabbed Elizabeth Ashley Carter on June 2, 2018. Carter was found dead in her apartment on North Bluff Street. She was discovered 11 days later when a property management company arrived to conduct an inspection on June 13. Following the discovery they called police.
Read more: Mcatlin testifies that it took him 10-15 seconds to stab woman to death
The defendant was located and subsequently arrested by police in Moab three days later. Mcatlin was then transported to Washington County.
During Wednesday’s sentencing hearing, friends and family of Carter provided victim impact statements and described how she was a giving, genuine person who had a wonderful laugh. “She loved everyone,” Carter’s sister Tamara Estey said.
Carter’s mother, Sandra Carter, addressed the court at Mcatlin’s sentencing, saying “I am reminded of my daughter 100 times a day – every day.”
In an emotional plea, Sandra Carter said Mcatlin “should be held accountable for the trauma he’s caused to my whole family, and hurt most is her [Elizabeth’s] little daughter.”
She also spoke of forgiveness of the man who killed her daughter, saying “I don’t hate him.”
Kenyon Nalder, the child’s father, addressed the court by saying Mcatlin left their daughter “broken and robbed of so many experiences with her mom,” asking, “what did she do to deserve this?” Nalder finished by saying the defendant is “a waste of skin.”
Prosecutor Zachary Weiland asked for a 20-year sentence, calling the defendant a coward when he said, “You knew Elizabeth for six hours and then you killed her.”
“For the next 20 years I want you to know what you took from this family,” Weiland said.
Defense attorney Ed Flint said that Mcatlin should be held accountable for his actions, adding that his client “wanted to tell the truth even if it hurt his case.”
Flint continued by saying, “I hope the family and friends of Elizabeth Carter find closure.”
Mcatlin was remanded to the custody of the Utah State Prison where he will serve his sentence. He was also ordered to pay a fine of $10,000 and $7,000 restitution. He has 30 days to appeal.
“All of the time given to her killer will never give her daughter time with her mother,” Kristine Olsen, friend of the victim, said during the hearing. “He took that away.”
This report is based on statements from police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or 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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