This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A 31-year-old man was ordered Friday to stand trial for allegedly killing an Ogden woman with a meat cleaver in August and then setting her house on fire to cover up the crime. Danny Allen Reyes is charged in 2nd District Court with first-degree felony counts of murder and aggravated arson in connection with the Aug. 6 slaying of 35-year-old Teresa Axbom. Reyes also is charged with third-degree felony counts of tampering with evidence and tampering with a witness. Co-defendant Dean Jason Imlay, 22, was ordered to stand trial on one count of aggravated arson for allegedly helping Reyes start the blaze that burned Axbom's body almost beyond recognition. Following the two-day preliminary hearing, defense attorneys asked for an Oct. 31 disposition hearing rather than trial dates, possibly indicating that a plea resolution is pending. Eyewitness Danelle Hines testified she saw Reyes, who had a screwdriver, struggling with Axbom, who had a meat cleaver. But Reyes got hold of the cleaver and began chopping at Axbom's head and neck, according to testimony. To conceal Axbom's body, Reyes and Imlay allegedly started a couch on fire. Police investigators testified that both defendants confessed to the arson, but Reyes claimed Imlay was the killer. Reyes, however, had left a phone message with a friend saying he had killed someone the day before. - Stephen Hunt