A woman charged with arson and murder in the death last spring of her foster daughter remains hospitalized with brain damage suffered in a fall in August.
Tonya Vosburgh, 32, and her husband, John Vosburgh, 43, are charged with murder and aggravated arson in the March 3 death of Bobbi Jo Womack, 18. Womack died in a fire in the garage of the Vosburghs' Layton home.Prosecutors charge the Vosburghs set the fire that killed the mentally handicapped woman, trying to collect a $100,000 life insurance policy they took out on her. They are also charged with filing a false insurance claim.
In a court hearing Thursday, defense attorney Randall Gaither said Tonya Vosburgh suffered brain damage in a fall at her home on Aug. 4, an injury that has been exacerbated by a series of strokes she suffered following surgery.
She is currently in LDS Hosptial under psychiatric care and no release date is set, Gaither said.
The case is complicated by the fact that both her husband and her parents have filed conflicting petitions seeking guardianship over the woman in district court, Gaither said. A hearing on the petitions is set next month.
Deputy Davis County Attorney Carvel Harward asked for a mental evaluation of Tonya Vosburgh to determine if she is capable of standing trial. The results of that evaluation will also determine what he does in her husband's case, Harward said.
Firefighters responding to the Vosburgh home early in the morning of March 3 found the young woman's body in the detached garage behind the house. Womack suffered a brain injury as a teenager and required foster care.
Prosecutors say the garage fire was started deliberately and that Womack, who also suffered from a physical handicap, was unable to open the container of gasoline used to feed the flames.
Another status hearing on the case is set for Jan. 20.