This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated.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 trial for a man accused of killing a Roy mother and son has been delayed after he flip-flopped on firing his public defenders.
Trial for Jeremy Valdes, 36, was set to begin Jan. 8 in the deaths of Matthew Roddy, 30, and Pamela Knight Jeffries, 53. In early December, Valdes signed a waiver of counsel after deciding he wanted to fire his public defenders and represent himself during the trial.
However, he'd had a change of heart by Dec. 18, when he filed a motion withdrawing his request for a new counsel or to represent himself. A judge granted the motion, and continued the trial to a later date.
Valdes' next court appearance on Jan. 24 will be for a pretrial conference.
On Nov. 25, 2009, Valdes allegedly fatally stabbed Roddy during an argument about stolen prescription drugs. Police believe Valdes then beat Jeffries, Roddy's mother, before leaving her unconscious with a plastic trash bag around her head and stuffing her and Roddy into a closet.
Valdes is charged with two counts of aggravated murder, which is punishable by death. He also has been charged with joyriding, obstructing justice and two counts of abuse or desecration a human body, all third degree felonies.
Miranda Statler, Valdes' girlfriend, also was charged with helping stuff the bodies in a closet, stealing Roddy's car and lying to police, but did not face murder charges, according to court documents. She was sentenced to spend up to 20 years in prison for her crimes.
This was not the first time Valdes has attempted to fire his court-appointed counsel. In August, he filed a similar motion asking for new lawyers, but attorney Randall Marshall said at that time they were working through Valdes' concerns.
In November, Valdes' mother, Marilee Valdes, wrote to 2nd District Judge Mark DeCaria that attorneys appointed to represent her son were not able to get promised expert witnesses and were not thoroughly interviewing witnesses.
Twitter: @jm_miller