Jury finds Joshua Binkerd guilty of manslaughter in Jordanelle case

HEBER CITY — A Taylorsville man accused of ordering the death of a woman was found guilty of manslaughter by a jury Wednesday.

Joshua Binkerd, 23, had been charged with aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, in the 2008 murder of Ashley Sparks at the Jordanelle State Park. Manslaughter is a second-degree felony. With enhancements for weapons violations, Binkerd faces two to 20 years in prison.

Relatives of both Binkerd and Sparks sobbed as the verdict was announced after six hours of deliberation. The victim's mother, Pam Larsen, clutched a teddy bear that her daughter received while hospitalized with food poisoning the day after her first Christmas.

Twenty-one years later to the day, Sparks was gunned down by Christopher Alvey, now 21, who testified he had orders from Binkerd to kill her to prevent her from snitching on their drug-selling and check-forging activities.

Alvey pleaded guilty last year to aggravated murder and was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.

Larsen said she was glad the trial was over.

"(Ashley) got her justice, that's how I feel about it," Larsen said. "I would have preferred the higher charge. He deserved it. But no more people will be hurt, and that's the ultimate goal today."

Wasatch County Attorney Scott Sweat, the lead prosecutor, said, "It wasn't the verdict we were seeking, (but) we understand the jury's verdict."

Defense attorney Edward Jones told the jury Wednesday in his closing argument that Alvey and other witnesses were unreliable.

"How is (Alvey) biased? Let me count the ways," Jones said.

He said Alvey feared retaliation if he implicated gang members other than Binkerd, and that he also feared losing his plea deal if he did not "throw Josh Binkerd under the bus."

But Sweat said Binkerd had "primed" Alvey to kill Sparks.

"Josh Binkerd loaded Chris Alvey like you would load a gun," Sweat said, arguing that the two men are "equally guilty."

After the verdict, Binkerd's mother, Tina Binkerd, said she was "really disappointed in the justice system," but she praised Jones as an "incredible attorney" for helping her son beat the aggravated murder charge.

"It absolutely could have been worse," she said. "I think Ed Jones saved my son's butt."