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Police investigated Utah man for abuse before murder-suicide
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FILE - Pallbearers carry a casket to the graveside service for the Haight and Earl families in La Verkin, Utah, on Jan. 13, 2023, in La Verkin, Utah. A Utah man who killed seven family members before committing suicide earlier this month had been investigated for child abuse years prior. Police records obtained by The Associated Press shed light on Michael Haight's violent tendencies and the warning signs that authorities were aware of years before the tragic murder-suicide. - photo by Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah man who police say killed his wife, her mother and their five kids before turning the gun on himself had been investigated two years prior for child abuse, but local police and prosecutors decided not to criminally charge him, new records released Tuesday show. Police records obtained by The Associated Press shed light on warning signs and a previous police investigation into a violent pattern of behavior Michael Haight exhibited toward family. Authorities said they were aware of previous problems in the home but didn't elaborate during a news conference after the Jan. 4 killings in the small town of Enoch, citing an ongoing investigation.