This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Posted: 10:48 AM- A man convicted in the West valley City shotgun-slaying of his live-in girlfriend will serve every day of his 15-year sentence, the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole has determined.
Craig Allen Veale, 48, was charged with murder for the Dec. 28, 2002, slaying of 38-year-old Loretta Romero.
But a 3rd District Court jury convicted Veale - who testified the shotgun discharged accidentally as he attempted to unload it - of the lesser crime of manslaughter.
The unemployed construction worker claimed he had loaded the gun the day before because he intended to kill himself, then lost his nerve.
The victim's family, however, believes Veale intentionally killed Romero because she was planning to leave the relationship.
Veale will be released from prison on Dec. 21, 2017.
- Stephen Hunt
