Jarret Edenton reportedly walked into a friend's home last week and announced, "I just had a fight with my dad. I won. I think I hurt him bad."
The 17-year-old's victory may land him in jail for life.Edenton was charged Tuesday with murder, a first-degree felony, in the Aug. 2 stabbing death of his father, Anthony Edenton.
The two were walking on a downtown street when they allegedly began fighting. During the melee, Jarret Edenton pushed his father to the ground before jumping on top of him and stabbing him five times in the back with an 8-inch blade, according to charges filed in 3rd Circuit Court.
Anthony Edenton, 48, got up and cursed at his son, then walked a few feet before stumbling in the parking lot of Guardian State Bank (142 E. 200 South) and died.
Meanwhile, Jarret Edenton ran from the scene. Witnesses say a "sweaty and frantic" man fitting the suspect's description ran into the nearby Windsor Hotel and told a pair of tenants, "My father is trying to kill me," according to a search warrant.
The teen later showed up at a friend's home and talked about the fight before spending the night, the search warrant states.
Police questioned Jarret Edenton the day after the slaying, but he refused to talk. He was arrested Monday at his mother's West Valley home and later booked into the Salt Lake County Jail.
If convicted, the defendant could spend his life behind bars.
He was charged as an adult under the new Serious Youth Offender Law, which automatically tries some juveniles as adults for certain violent crimes.