Utah Teen Receives Sentence for Involvement in Man’s Death

A Utah teen has been sentenced for his involvement in a man’s death in Moab. The now-17-year-old will be spending the next few years in a high-security juvenile detention facility.

Covering Up a Murder

Charles Anthony Nelson admitted responsibility for his role in helping cover up a murder committed by his friend. Police first thought Nelson committed the murder, but it turned out his culpability was in attempting to hide the murder.

Nelson pleaded guilty to committing obstruction of justice the same day his friend pleaded guilty to second degree felony manslaughter. It will now be up to a parole board to determine when the Utah teen gets out of detention.

Obstruction of Justice Charge

Obstruction of justice can be charged if a Utah teen or adult does any of the following intending to delay, hinder, etc. criminal proceedings and so forth:

• Gives someone a weapon
• Uses intimidation, force or deception to prevent a crime from being discovered
• Provides someone with transportation to evade police
• Conceals information after a judge requires such information be given
• Alters, destroys, removes or conceals anything involved in a crime (like hiding a dead body)
• And others.
Kids and adults alike can make a lot of dumb choices, some not so serious and others that get the proverbial book thrown at them. That’s where attorneys come in.

A Utah juvenile defense attorney can be your child’s best chance of making sure that justice is handled appropriately. Some kids deserve to go to lockdown detention, but others have different rehabilitative needs. It’s good to have multiple points of view involved in decisions that can affect a Utah teen’s life forever.

If your Utah teen is in legal trouble, talk to a Utah juvenile defense attorney. Getting him the help he needs now may save a lot of headaches in the future.