Slaying of Utahn called 'heinous' crime

A federal complaint filed Friday against the former live-in boyfriend of Deborah Jones, whose body was found in a plastic bin in the back of her own car in Branson, Mo., reveals disturbing new details of the crime and gives apparent glimpses into the psyche of the man accused of taking her.

Michael Doyel, 47, was charged Friday in U.S. District Court with the kidnapping of Jones from Salt Lake City. He was charged earlier in 3rd District Court with kidnapping after prosecutors said he took another woman, 59-year-old Patricia Murray, a handicapped individual, without the consent of her guardian.

Doyel was returned to Utah from Missouri Friday afternoon after waiving extradition.

No homicide charge has been filed yet, although Salt Lake District Attorney Lohra Miller said Friday her office was putting together their case. She said a murder charge in the complex case may not come until May.

During a news conference at the U.S. Attorney's Office Friday, words such as "sobering," "gruesome," "horrible" and "heinous" were used to describe the crime.

A more detailed timeline of Jones' last days was revealed in court documents.

Doyel admitted to detectives he harassed Jones "weeks and days before the abduction," according to court documents. He would show up at her work, call her home, business and cell phones constantly and "in an attempt to get some attention from her ... stated when he couldn't have her any more he would carve her name in his arm," court documents state.

When Doyel was arrested in Missouri, he had Jones' name "freshly carved" in his arm, according to court documents.

During Jones' extradition hearing in Missouri this week, he waved to news cameras and called out, "I love you, Deborah Marie Jones."

On April 16, Jones, 50, met with Salt Lake City police to discuss possible fraud involving Doyel, whom she had lived with for several months before ending the relationship a couple of weeks earlier. The two had met on Craig's List, according to investigators.

Jones was scheduled to meet with police again on April 17 but never showed up.

Instead, surveillance video shows Jones leaving Perkins restaurant, 230 N. Admiral Byrd Road (5480 West). U.S. Attorney for Utah Brett Tolman said Friday it was unknown if Jones was with Doyel willingly at that time.