Thomas Edward Egley appeared in the Seventh District Court before Judge George Harmond Tuesday morning where he pled guilty to a charge of criminal homicide, waiving a formerly scheduled preliminary hearing set for a series of days at the end of the month.
Egley appeared with his attorney, David Allred, and pled guilty to a charge of criminal homicide, murder in the second degree, which carries a penalty of ten years to life in prison, according to information from the Carbon County Attorney’s Office.
After consulting with the victim’s family, the State also dismissed a charge of rape against Egley.
Egley was booked into the Carbon County Jail on Aug. 25 after allegedly confessing to the homicide and rape of Loretta M. Jones in July of 1970. The work on the 46-year old cold case rallied local and state-wide support as the search for justice brought warmth to both the case and hearts of many.
A pre-sentence report will be generated by Adult Probation and Parole which will allow several factors of the case to be brought to light including concerns from the victim’s family as well as such items as Egley’s past and general facts of the case. The report will be presented a number of days before the sentencing.
“I would like to commend Sgt. Brewer and his team for the hours of hard work and sleepless nights that goes into a case like this,” Carbon County Sheriff Jeff Wood said in a press release following the court proceedings.
“I am sure Sgt. Brewer and his team are pleased with the outcome in this case and it just goes to show that all of their hard work has paid off. After 46 years, the victim’s family finally has closure and justice has been served. This is just one example of law enforcement’s dedication to their duty in this community and is something to be proud of.”
Egley’s sentencing is currently scheduled for Nov. 22 at 1:30 p.m.