This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The two men accused in the May shooting of a Provo man will stand trial on murder charges, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Fourth District Court Judge Steve Hansen ruled there was enough evidence for Darrell Wayne Morris, 38, and Danny LeRoy Logue, 45, to be bound over for trial in connection to the May 17 death of 32-year-old Andy Purcell.
A three-day preliminary hearing took place in late August, but Hansen ruled on the last day of the hearing that he would take the issue under advisement.
Deputy Utah County Attorney Curtis Larson said Hansen wrote a 14-page ruling and read most of his decision in court Tuesday.
"Based on the evidence that was presented during the preliminary hearing, we felt that we had satisfied our burden, and had anticipated that the judge would bind over the case for trial," Larson said.
Morris and Logue were charged in June with first-degree felony aggravated murder after a confidential informant told police that Yuri Sanchez Lara, 32, had hired Morris to hurt Purcell.
According to charges, Lara contacted Morris to kill Purcell in exchange for an ounce of methamphetamine. Morris was given a half-ounce before the shooting and the rest after Lara learned Purcell was in the hospital, charges state. Logue allegedly was with Morris at the time of the shooting.
During the preliminary hearing, William Thompson testified that Lara had wanted to hurt Purcell because he thought Purcell had told police about a cache of methamphetamine kept in Lara's storage unit.
But Orem Police Officer Scott Spieth testified that Purcell was not the person who informed on Lara, rather it was a woman who was caught with methamphetamine.
Purcell died May 17, a day after he was found on his mother's porch with a gunshot wound in his forehead.
Lara is also charged with first-degree felony aggravated murder. All three men are expected in court for an arraignment on Oct. 2.
Twitter: @jm_miller