American Fork man bound over in aunt's killing

PROVO — After a two-day preliminary hearing in which 13 people testified and 61 exhibits were presented to the court, the American Fork man who has been accused of raping and killing his aunt was bound over on Wednesday for trial.

Damien Allister Candland, 22 of American Fork, is charged with aggravated murder and rape, both first-degree felonies in the Feb. 21 death of his aunt, Amy Jo Candland. He is also facing a charge of obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony. His aunt's body was found by a snowshoer in Hobble Creek Canyon, east of Springville, on Feb. 21 near a dumpster. A cord had been wrapped around her neck and duct tape had been wrapped around her wrists.

Damien Candland had been living with his aunt at the time of her death and was arrested the next day.

That same day investigators said they found wet shoes that matched the prints left in the snow surrounding Amy Candland's body and wet denim shorts in the defendant's room at his aunt's house. They also found duct tape on the kitchen counter.

Provo police detective Ron Gibson testified that what appeared to be blood was found on a bathmat, towel and in the victim's car.

Utah state medical examiner Erik D. Christensen told the court on Wednesday that the cause of death was in fact affixia due to strangulation. He also said that injuries were found consistent with forced object rape, which he said occurred near the time of death. A forensic scientist for the State's Crime Lab, Chandra Christenson, also took the stand and said DNA on the condom that was found in Amy Candland's home matched that of both the victim and the defendant.

Christenson also testified that blood found on Damien Candland's shirt at the time of his arrest matched his aunt's blood and DNA that matched the defendant's was found under the victim's fingernails.

On a second search of Amy Candland's home a couple days after the first, Gibson said he found her purse, keys and cell phone inside a black Adidas backpack stashed in a crawl space in the utility room. According to her phone records, she made her last call at 12:23 p.m. and sent her last text message at 12:45 p.m. the day of her death. Both were made to her brother Keith Candland, who is Damien Candland's father.

Amy Candland's body was found at 4:18 p.m. on Feb. 21 and Utah County Investigator Scott Finch testified that cell phone trackers show that Damien Candland's phone made a trip from Provo to Springville about that time. ?

Judge James Taylor ruled the evidence submitted during the hearing was sufficient to bind the case over trial and set the next hearing for Sept. 30 at 1:30 p.m.

After Wednesday's ruling, Keith Candland, who had testified Tuesday that his sister and his son had been fighting in the weeks leading up to her death, said he just hopes justice will come.

"I'm torn both ways," he said. "I love them both. He's my son and she's my sister. It's really hard."

e-mail: slenz@desnews.com