Among the first in the State to resume jury trials, 8th District Court in Duchesne County went through the jury selection process on Wednesday in the murder trial of the State of Utah vs Kristy Lee Whitchurch. 39-year-old Whitchurch was “arrested on November 13th, 2018 after a witness came forward and told investigators Whitchurch was directly involved in the April 6th, 2018 assault that resulted in the death of 51-year-old Sherry Lynn Melo.” There were five people charged the previous April with Aggravated Murder in the assault. The Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office reported at that time that the group “went to the front door, which was open with only the glass storm door closed. They broke the glass out and entered the house, chasing [two] victims out of the house and then assaulted them both outside the home…The man and woman [Sherry Melo] were taken by ambulance to the hospital where medical staff determined [Melo] had bleeding on her brain…[Melo] told investigators one of the female suspects hit her in the head with a bat.” Melo succumbed to her injuries from the assault and passed away in a hospital in Provo. Charges against those implicated were amended from Attempted Murder to Murder. Whitchurch was charged with 1st Degree Felony Murder, 2nd Degree Felony Aggravated Assault, and 1st Degree Felony Aggravated Burglary. On September 9th, 2019, Whitchurch pleaded Not Guilty to each charge. With the jury selected, Whitchurch’s trial is scheduled to begin on Friday, October 2nd, at 9:00am.
