- Michael Aaron Jayne is suing Utah County in federal court, claiming inadequate defense funding in his capital case.
- Jayne is charged with aggravated murder, a capital offense, and accused of killing Santaquin Police Sgt. Bill Hooser.
- Jayne points out the disparity between his and Tyler Robinson’s death penalty cases, and asks for funding in his case to match.
SALT LAKE CITY — A man charged with capital murder in the death of a Santaquin police sergeant is now suing Utah County, claiming it is not adequately funding his defense.
Michael Aaron Jayne, 44 of Garrett, Indiana, is accused of killing Santaquin Police Sgt. Bill Hooser on May 5, 2024. He left a traffic stop in a semitruck he was driving, flipped around on I-15’s northbound lanes near Santaquin and drove into Hooser, according to charging documents.
Jayne’s attorneys, Rudy Bautista and Johnathan Nish, have been involved in multiple high-profile cases in Utah. While it is typical for a defendant to not present evidence during a preliminary hearing, Jayne’s attorneys called multiple witnesses during his preliminary hearing on March 26…