SALT LAKE CITY — The parole hearing for Mason Andrew Ohms returned again and again to the same questions: What happened on April 26, 2022 — and what does Ohms say now about the choices he made that day?
Ohms is seeking parole after being convicted in the death of 13-year-old Eli Mitchell. Inside the hearing, Eli’s parents urged the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole to focus on the timeline that ended their son’s life and the aftermath they say they live with every day.
“I decided to celebrate by having a beer”
Under questioning, Ohms told the board he had been working earlier that day and then went to Black Sheep Bar and Grill at about 12:44 p.m., where he said he stayed “roughly around six hours.”
Board member Dan Bakavovit referenced a receipt and told Ohms it showed seven 20-ounce beers were purchased. Ohms responded he wasn’t sure about the receipt details, but acknowledged drinking that afternoon and agreed he consumed four 20-ounce beers.
As the board asked why he drank after telling the board he had been sober for about eight months, Ohms described it as a decision tied to a work win…