A jury found a Duchesne County man ‘Not Guilty’ of Murder and Aggravated Assault in 8th District Court on Wednesday in a case of assault that resulted in the 2018 death of Sherry Lynn Melo. Michael Wallace Tuinman was a member of a group charged in the April 6th, 2018 assault and consequent death. 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. The others that participated in the assault faced a mixture of charges similar to Michael Tuinman. 39-year-old Kristy Lee Whitchurch, 37-year-old Thomas Neil Tuinman, 35-year-old Stephanie Tuinman, 32-year-old Samantha Tuinman, and 31-year-old Byron Rashad Thompson were all implicated and charged and are at varying stages of their court cases. On October 8th, 2020, a jury found 39-year-old Kristy Lee Whitchurch Guilty of 1st Degree Felony Aggravated Burglary, 2nd Degree Felony Aggravated Assault, and 1st Degree Felony Murder in the death of Sherry Lynn Melo. On August 12th, 2020, Michael Tuinman pleaded Not Guilty to 1st Degree Murder and 2nd Degree Felony Aggravated Assault and this week after a 5 day trial, the jury found Michael Tuinman Not Guilty on both charges.
