Child-abuse plea deal OK'd

PROVO — Less than a week after a Utah County jury could not come to a consensus on whether he was guilty of trying to kill his children, Christopher Young has agreed to plead guilty to charges of child abuse.

Young, 36, who initially was charged in 4th District Court with three counts of attempted aggravated murder and three counts of felony child abuse, on Tuesday accepted the plea deal with the Utah County Attorney's Office.

In exchange for a guilty plea, government prosecutors agreed to drop the attempted aggravated murder charges. But they still want Young to pay for the emotional damage they believe he caused his three young children, ages 6, 4 and 20 months.

"These kids live in fear, still, every day," said Donna Kelly, deputy Utah County attorney. Kelly said she will ask he be sentenced to prison at his Jan. 2 court hearing.

"I wanted the court to know I have spoken with the mother several times since the trial ... (and) she's in agreement with this resolution of the case at this point," Kelly said. "Obviously she disagrees with the jury's indecision but she agrees with the resolution."

During the trial's closing arguments, Young's attorney, Richard Gale, told the jury his client made some bad decisions but wasn't guilty of trying to kill his children.

Gale said he will be arguing against a prison sentence because Young has no criminal record and has already spent eight months in the Utah County Jail.

Young was arrested after he took his three children to a hill at the Point of the Mountain and allegedly threatened to drive off the cliff in an attempt at killing himself and the children.

Young's wife had told him that morning she wanted a divorce.

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