SALT LAKE CITY — A man accused in connection with the death of a St. George woman whose remains were found in Iron County has been charged with capital murder.
Joseph Edward Fought, 30, of North Carolina, was originally charged Aug. 31 in 5th District Court with possessing a stolen vehicle, a second-degree felony.
On Tuesday, amended charges were filed including aggravated murder, a capital offense; kidnapping, a second-degree felony; and possession of a firearm by a restricted person, a second-degree felony, in addition to the original charge.
Stevie Shay Wilkerson, 26, had been missing since Aug. 9 when her remains were located in western Iron County on Aug. 23. She was last seen leaving the Claridge Inn, 1187 S. Bluff, according to St. George police.
Investigators believe she was in a stolen car along with Fought and Brittany Elizabeth Phillips, 27, from Missouri, who was also charged Aug. 31 in 5th District Court with possessing a stolen vehicle, a second-degree felony. Phillips has not been charged in connection with Wilkerson’s death. A fourth person who was also in the car later provided information to police, according to the charges.
On Aug. 31, police in Barstow, California, located Phillips and Fought at a motel and arrested them on the warrant for the stolen vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office.
According to charging documents, a person convicted of aggravated murder can be sentenced to up life in prison without the possibility of parole, or 25 years to life in prison. Prosecutors can also declare whether or not they’ll seek the death penalty on a capital murder case after a defendant is arraigned.
Fought made his initial appearance in court on Tuesday.