Plea deal in works for man accused of beating landlady

SALT LAKE CITY — A man charged with brutally attacking an elderly woman on New Year's Day waived his right to a preliminary hearing Tuesday, indicating plea negotiations are in the works.

Arthel Martin, 45, is charged with attempted murder and aggravated robbery, both first-degree felonies, in addition to a charge of abuse of an elderly adult, a class A misdemeanor, for a Jan. 1 incident involving his 86-year-old landlady.

Martin is accused of viciously beating Anne Smart-Pearce and stealing her purse and cell phone, leaving her for dead. Two other tenants heard the woman's cries for help and said they found Martin in her bedroom standing over her body. He fled the scene, but eventually turned himself in to law enforcement officials in California.

Though police said Smart-Pearce was in "extremely critical condition" when she was transported to the hospital, she survived the attack.

Defense attorney Michael Peterson said he is in the middle of plea negotiations with prosecutors that may allow Martin to plead guilty to attempted murder in exchange for the other charges being dropped.

— Emiley Morgan