Jury gives Griffin life without parole

LOGAN — Glenn Howard Griffin, convicted of the 1984 murder of Bradley Newell Perry, will spend the rest of his life in prison.

A 12-member jury Thursday deliberated for less than two hours before reaching a decision to sentence Griffin to life without the possibility of parole. At least 10 jurors had to agree to the sentence for it to happen.

Griffin stood mostly stone faced, as he had through most of the week-long sentencing proceedings, when 1st District Judge Ben Hadfield read the jury's decision. When he was being led back to his holding cell, Griffin smiled at his family.

"We're obviously thrilled," defense attorney Randy Richards said. "He certainly wanted to avoid the death sentence ... He understands where he's at with this thing," Richards said.

Richards said Griffin was "certainly remorseful" over what happened to Perry and hopes now he might be able to do some good in prison.

State prosecutor Brad Smith had few comments outside the courtroom, simply saying it was a "good jury" and a "good verdict" in light of a terrible tragedy and "tough case."

Griffin was convicted last week for the 1984 murder of 22-year-old Perry in Box Elder County. The case went cold for many years until advances in DNA analysis and other forensic tools were able to finally link Griffin to the crime.

Over the course of the past 24 years, the Perry and Griffin families have become close, even after Glenn was charged and convicted of Perry's murder.

Perry's family was pleased with Griffin's sentence.

"This is Brad's verdict," brother Lee Perry said. "It's what he would have wanted. Brad was a peacemaker."

"I don't think any of us ever wanted (the death penalty) because Brad didn't want that," sister Nanette Perry Wharton said.

Claudia Perry, Brad's mother, said both her family and the Griffin family got what they wanted: the Perrys received justice and the Griffins received mercy by the jury for sparing the killer's life.

"He's where he needs to be," Newell Perry, Bradley Perry's father said of Griffin spending the rest of his life in prison. "We're satisfied."

Although they are happy with the verdict, the Perrys say it will not bring closure.

"I don't know how there can be closure," said Laura Boyd Hill, who was about to be engaged to Perry two decades ago before he was killed.

"I don't see Brad here," Claudia Perry added.

The family also noted there's the possibility of another trial to endure when a second man charged with Perry's murder finally begins to work his way through the court system with a January preliminary hearing.