The man accused of kidnapping, killing and then sexually assaulting 5-year-old Destiny Norton appeared in court today.
Craig Roger Gregerson made his initial appearance in Salt Lake City's 3rd District Court where the judge read him the charges of aggravated murder and child kidnapping. Gregerson, 20, appeared via video hook-up from the Salt Lake County Jail.
Wearing a yellow jail jumpsuit, Gregerson looked directly into the camera and answered Judge Robert Hilder's questions.
"What's your income level?" Hilder asked him.
"None whatsoever," Gregerson replied.
The judge appointed public defenders to represent him on an emergency basis Monday night, when he was first arrested, who will continue to represent Gregerson.
A scheduling hearing was set for Aug. 7.
Gregerson is accused of luring Destiny into his backyard and then into his apartment, two doors away from her home. Prosecutors said that when Destiny began to become vocal and wanted to leave, he smothered her with his hand.
"The defendant stated that he took (Destiny's) deceased body into his basement and later engaged in sexual activity with (Destiny's) body," police wrote in a probable cause statement filed with the criminal charges.
Destiny Norton vanished from her backyard on July 16, prompting a massive, eight day search until she was found in Gregerson's basement.
Prosecutors said that Gregerson confessed to an FBI agent. Destiny's body was found inside a plastic storage container.
Destiny's family did not show up to Gregerson's first appearance, but members of the group Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) were there.
For more details, read tomorrow's edition of the Deseret Morning News.
E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com; lindat@desnews.com