This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Salt Lake City man convicted of raping a woman at gunpoint at a truck stop in 2012 has been sentenced to prison for up to life.
Brian Newton, now 27, was convicted in 2014 by a 3rd District Court jury of first-degree felony aggravated sexual assault and third-degree felony aggravated assault in connection with the attack.
On Monday, Judge Paul Parker sentenced Newton to prison for 10 years to life for the sexual assault, and zero to five years for the aggravated assault.
On May 30, 2012, Newton and the victim left a West Valley City party together to get some food, according to charges..
They drove to a truck stop in Salt Lake County where Newton choked the woman, the charges state.
The woman told police she was crying as she tried to fight off the attack. That is when Newton pulled out a handgun, held it to her head, told her stop crying and raped her, according to the charges.
As they drove away from the truck stop, Newton said he "might have to kill her" because she "seemed like a girl that would cause problems for him," charges state. At a red light on Bangerter Highway, the woman opened the door, got out and ran away.
Salt Lake City police later found two loaded weapons in Newton's bedroom and a "quick access gun safe" under the driver's seat of his truck, according to court documents.