West Valley man admits strangling friend who wouldn't give him money

WEST JORDAN — A West Valley man accused of strangling an acquaintance, stealing the man's ATM card and making multiple purchases pleaded guilty to a number of the charges leveled against him Monday.

Quent Evans, 44, pleaded guilty to murder, aggravated burglary and aggravated kidnapping, all first-degree felonies, for the Nov. 9, 2008, slaying of Douglas McGrory.

Evans went to Douglas McGrory's condo, 4147 S. 2700 West, and begged McGrory for money, according to prosecutors. When McGrory told Evans to get out of the house, a physical struggle occurred.

"Evans tied McGrory up and jumped on his back," charging documents state. "When they both fell to the ground, Evans grabbed a necktie, put it around McGrory's neck and pulled on it."

Officers discovered McGrory's body the next day, and an autopsy determined that the cause of death was strangulation.

Evans told police that he took a debit card from an envelope that had the personal identification number written on it at McGrory's home. Prosecutors said he then took money from McGrory's account at a bank before he used the debit card to make purchases at several other businesses.

In exchange for Evans' plea, prosecutors dismissed charges of aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony; unlawful acquisition of a financial transaction card, a third-degree felony; unlawful use of a financial transaction card; and three counts of falsely making a financial transaction, class B misdemeanors.

Evans will be sentenced Oct. 6.

— Emiley Morgan