CEDAR CITY — A tragic case. That's the way Iron County Attorney Scott Burns is describing the arrests of two Cedar City teens in connection with the murder of a 36-year-old woman.
Burns released more details on the arrests of Carl Gary Wilcken, 18, and Zach Russell Beatty, 17, Wednesday afternoon. The teens were booked into the Iron County Jail on charges of murder, aggravated robbery and aggravated arson.
Wilcken was charged with aggravated murder.
The teens are accused of shooting Cynthia Boggs multiple times Jan. 30 and burning her mobile home. Boggs' body was found dumped in a nearby field the next day.
The motive for the crime was robbery and drugs, Burns said Wednesday. The boys burned the mobile home to the ground in an effort to cover up the murder, he said.
Both teens made an initial appearance in 5th District Court Wednesday afternoon.
Good police work is being credited for the boys' arrests. Investigators noticed tire tracks in the snow at the scene of the fire that came from the same car but did not match, said Burns. In other words, two different tires were on the car.
Police also talked to witnesses who said the teens had contact with Boggs earlier in the day.
Investigators questioned the boys and discovered their Ford Escort had two different tires, said Burns.
Police also found other evidence that could link the boys to the crime scene, Burns said, but he refused to go into any details.
Several guns and drugs were stolen from Boggs' home, Burns said.
Burns would not say if the boys have confessed to the crime, but he said Beatty gave investigators a "very emotional statement." Wilcken has not made any statement, he said.
Boggs' husband, John Boggs, was arrested shortly after the fire on an unrelated drug charge. Burns said he believed the teens were the only ones involved in the murder. He said John Boggs is not a suspect in the slaying.
However, Burns said his office is looking into whether anyone else knew about the crime and didn't report it to police.
Burns said this is a sad case and noted both boys come from good families. The community is in shock, he said.
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