NORTH OGDEN — Valerie Burke will forever remember the image of Paul Wayment's "kooky" smile.
The last time Burke saw her 38-year-old brother he was following her in his car from the Summit County courthouse where he'd just been sentenced to 30 days in jail. Wayment left the courthouse by himself Tuesday, telling family members he wanted to spend one last night in the mountains where his 2-year-old son, Gage, was found dead last Halloween.
"He was up there in the mountains all the time," Burke told reporters in front of her North Ogden home Thursday. "That's where he felt the most comfort."
That's why family members, especially Burke, thought nothing of Wayment's trip to the mountains Tuesday. Burke said Wayment was quiet and showed no signs of ending his life as he left the courthouse by himself.
Wayment followed Burke for a time before passing her car and heading off for what family members thought would be just another night of silent reflection.
"He got up alongside the car," Burke said. "He had this kooky smile . . . . He turned his head over and smiled and waved and just drove past."
That was the last time she saw her brother.
The next morning Wayment was reported missing. By 12:45 p.m. Wednesday searchers discovered Wayment, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, near the same spot where his son died.
Wayment took his pajama-clad son to the mountains above Coalville the morning of Oct. 26, 2000. Burke said the two probably went up to watch the sunrise. Police say Wayment left his son asleep in the truck to scout for deer. When Wayment returned 45 minutes later, he found his son missing, sparking an exhaustive search through the snow-covered wilderness which garnered national attention.
Gage's body was discovered five days later. He died from hypothermia.
Wayment's suicide earlier this week brought a chilling end to a tragic story.
Her lips and fingers quivering, Burke struggled at times Thursday to verbalize her emotions.
"Broken-hearted, shocked, numb," she said, pausing for several seconds between each word. "Paul was a very private and very simple person. The scrutiny of his life in the media and to everyone proved to be just too much."
Paul had a hard time even going to the grocery store, feeling the stares of strangers who recognized him from news coverage, she said.
Internally, Burke said, the pain of losing his only son left Wayment reeling.
"Gage was his whole life," Burke said. "To have some try to say he did something intentionally . . . and to have people make judgments . . . it just got to him."
Not long after his son died, Wayment noticed two children sitting in a running car while their parent went inside the store. Wayment stayed in his car and kept a close watch over the two until the parent returned, Burke said.
"He was honest," Burke said. "He just had a quiet integrity about him."
Burke said her brother was ready for whatever sentence 3rd District Judge Robert Hilder handed out at Tuesday's sentencing. Hilder has received harsh public criticism for sending Wayment to jail for 30 days. Many have blamed the judge for Wayment's suicide.
Burke, however, said her family doesn't hold the judge responsible and blamed Wayment's suicide on an "accumulation" of things.
"Paul was prepared to serve whatever time the judge deemed reasonable," Burke said. "Our family understands where the judge was coming from, and we don't blame him at all for his decision."
The courts received a handful of calls criticizing Hilder's sentence, but none of the calls were direct threats to the judge's life, state courts spokeswoman Jan Thompson said. Any derogatory calls were referred to the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, she added.
"More of the calls have been supportive of the judge than critical. Probably twice as many," she said.
Wayment's funeral will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Cottonwood Creek Ward Chapel, 1800 W. 1800 North, Farr West.
E-MAIL: djensen@desnews.com