Son pleads not guilty in mom's slaying

FARMINGTON — A young man charged in the slaying of his mother has pleaded not guilty to the crime.

Jeremy Jacob Hauck, 18, was arraigned in 2nd District Court on Thursday on a charge of first-degree felony murder. He is accused of shooting his mother in the head, slitting her throat and then dumping her body in a freezer in the basement of their townhouse condo in August.

When family members hadn't heard from Laura Hauck for days, they called Bountiful police who sent an officer to check on her welfare. Going into the home through a window, the officer discovered a bloody crime scene and a body in the chest-style freezer.

It took police three days to identify Laura Hauck, 52, because her body was frozen solid. Police arrested Jeremy Hauck days later at a motel in Missoula, Mont. He had his mother's car and a number of weapons with him, detectives said.

On Thursday, Jeremy Hauck's lawyer said he will file a motion to suppress evidence that Bountiful police seized in the condo.

"The officers should not have entered without more information, without obtaining a warrant first," defense attorney Todd Utzinger said. "The Fourth Amendment requires you have a warrant before entering anybody's private residence."

Davis County prosecutors contend that officers did everything properly.

"When you look at the circumstances and the situation that was presented to police at the time with a missing person ... it seems reasonable the police did what they did," said deputy Davis County Attorney Bill McGuire.

Prosecutors did not object to a defense request for a mental evaluation for Hauck.

"Frankly, even family members have said they have concerns about Jeremy's well-being," Utzinger said, declining to say if his interactions with Hauck prompted the request.

Hauck is scheduled to return to court on Nov. 2 for a pretrial conference. He remains in the Davis County Jail with bail set at $300,000.

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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com