Cedar City » A jury on Thursday convicted a 32-year-old Bryan Featherhat of attempting to kill a Cedar City police officer and then stealing a vehicle to escape.

Featherhat showed no emotion as he stood with hands in pockets to hear the verdict of the four-man, four-woman jury that deliberated for more than two hours following a three-day trial in Cedar City's 5th District Court.

In finding Featherhat guilty, jurors rebuffed the arguments of Featherhat's defense lawyer Jack B. Burns. Burns presnted evidence during the three-day trial that Featherhat heard voices telling him to shoot Cedar City Police Officer Jason Thomas on Jan. 5, 2007.

Featherhat shot Thomas at point blank range with a 12-gauge shotgun after the officer had pulled over to help Featherhat following a slideoff.

Judge G. Michael Westfall revoked a $100,000 cash-only bail for Featherhat who has been in Iron County Jail since being arrested one day after shooting Thomas.

Sentencing is slated for Jan. 6. Featherhat faces a sentence of five years to life on each conviction.

Thomas was saved by a bullet-resistant vest, but sustained wounds to his head, arms and torso from a second shotgun blas. A third shot missed the fleeing officer.

After the shooting, Featherhat stole a car that had stopped to also help and fleeing the scene of the shooting.

Featherhat said he had been doing methamphetamine and drinking bourbon prior to the shooting.

After the verdicts were read in a courtroom filled with family members and police officers, Thomas received hugs and congratulations.

"There really is no victory," said Thomas after the verdict. "One family [Featherhat's] is torn apart and mine still lives with what happened."

Thomas said justice was served in the trial and it has brought closure to a case that lasted almost two years.

"This was an attack on police officers everywhere who put their lives on the line every day, and against all law-abiding people." Thomas said.

Thomas, who returned to active duty after about a six-month recovery, said he is grateful to have survived.

"My vest did its job and luckily [the blasts] hit me where they did," Thomas said.

In closing arguments, Iron County Attorney Scott Garrett said evidence overwhelmingly showed Featherhat tried to murder Thomas and then tried to steal the vehicle.

Attempts to prove Featherhat acted out of diminished mental capacity or from mental illness did not succeed.

Garrett reminded the jury that their instructions for deliberation show that voluntarily consuming alcohol or taking drugs cannot be used as a reason for diminished mental capacity.

Based on testimony from psychologists during the three-day trial that it is likely Featherhat was falsifying the facts to avoid going to prison, Garrett said.

Featherhat told investigators he was compelled to shoot Thomas by voices he heard commanding him to murder anyone who got in his way.

Burns told jurors Featherhat had an alcohol problem and said his client's drunkenness during the shooting could be used to find Featherhat guilty but mentally ill or not guilty by reason of insanity.

Burns also reminded jurors Featherhat asked police of Thomas' condition after being arrested the following day and was relieved when told he would be OK.

Burns, who did not challenge the state's evidence, worked to convince jurors Featherhat was not guilty of the aggravated robbery charge, and said Featherhat took the car as a consequence after the shooting.

He said fear and violence were not intended toward people in the car that stopped to help him.

Garrett was glad the trial is over.

"It's been a long process," Garrett said. "For two years, we dealt with the case over and over again."

Burns declined comment on the trial or the jury's finding.

mhavnes@sltrib.com