Draper homicide suspect remains jailed

A man accused of killing a Riverton teen remained behind bars Wednesday, despite not being charged with her killing more than a month later.

Salt Lake County jail officials said Wednesday that Daniel Robert Lehi Ferry, 31, of Sandy, had successfully served a 30-day sentence for traffic warrants, but remained in custody because his bail bond company had revoked a $10,000 bond on drug charges he's facing in an unrelated matter.

The felony drug charges were filed in November 2011. Court records show Ferry was out on bond when police allege he killed 15-year-old Anne Kasprzak.

As of Wednesday, Ferry and his co-defendant Veanuia Vehekite, 30, of Stansbury Park, had not been charged with the bloody slaying.

In a statement earlier this week, Draper police said they were not commenting on the homicide, but noted the investigation was ongoing.

Authorities found Anne's body on March 11 after a passer-by spotted blood and a shoe near a footbridge over the Jordan River near 12600 South in Draper.

The girl's face was so badly beaten that she was nearly unrecognizable and investigators had to use scars, clothing and cosmetic dentistry to identify her, according to search warrants. Anne had a fingernail that was pushed back and she appeared to have defensive wounds on her hands, the warrant shows. Investigators hope the girl got some of her killer's DNA on her hands during the struggle, the warrants state.

Anne's family said they last saw her alive the night of March 10, when she went to her bedroom to listen to music. At some point, she apparently sneaked out and her family reported her as a runaway.

A witness told police that Ferry made a sexual advance toward Anne, the warrants state. But when Anne laughed at him and told him, "No," the witness alleges that Ferry grabbed Anne and "smashed" her head into the wall, knocking her unconscious, the warrants state.

Police allege Ferry, Vehekite and a man identified in the warrant only as "L.J.," who has not been arrested, moved the girl into the garage, where they changed her clothes, placed her in a tarp and put her into a vehicle parked out front.

"A couple of hours later," the three returned to Ferry's home and "they all had blood on their clothing," the witness told police.

When the witness asked what happened to Anne, Ferry allegedly said "she went swimming," and that "she put up one hell of a fight," according to the warrants.

jstecklein@sltrib.com

Twitter @sltribjanelle