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Darwin Christopher Bagshaw was only 14 years old when, prosecutors believe, he brutally beat his 15-year-old girlfriend, Anne Kasprzak, and dumped her body in the river.

Now, three years later, a juvenile court judge has ordered the 17-year-old boy to stand trial in adult court for the crime, ruling that it was "contrary to the best interests of the public" for Bagshaw's case to stay in juvenile court — where, if he were convicted, he would be released from custody in three years.

Judge Dane Nolan wrote in his Tuesday ruling that while psychologists who evaluated Bagshaw felt he was "low risk" to commit another violent crime, that doesn't mean there is no risk.

"If the court looked only at Chris' psychological evaluation and risk assessments, denial of the certification request would be appropriate," the judge wrote. "But the court must acknowledge the fact that Chris does present a risk of committing murder again."

The judge ruled that, if he were convicted of first-degree felony murder for the "horrendous crime," Bagshaw would need to have long-term supervision. Though prison would likely damage the boy, Nolan said, a lengthier sentence would better serve the community.

"It is appropriate when considering the public's best interests to consider the murder's impact upon Anne and her family," Nolan wrote. "Anne lost her life in a painful and terrifying manner. Her family has been devastated."

For Kasprzak's father and stepmother, the decision was a relief.

"We are very relieved and grateful to the court and Judge Nolan for his ruling today," Dennis and Jennifer Kasprzak said in a statement Tuesday. "Thank you again to the Draper City police detectives, the district attorney's office and countless friends and family members that have gotten us to this next step. We love you Annie, we miss you and we feel you with us each and every day."

While Nolan sent the murder charge up to adult court, the judge ruled that a charge of second-degree felony obstruction of justice was better suited to stay in the juvenile court system.

The teen is expected in juvenile court next Thursday, when his first appearance in adult court will be set and the obstruction charge will be addressed, according to the judge's ruling. Bagshaw will remain held in a juvenile detention center until then.

The Salt Lake Tribune generally does not identify juvenile defendants unless they have been certified to stand trial as an adult, as in Bagshaw's case.

The judge wrote in his 33-page ruling that in order to make his decision, he had to assume Bagshaw was guilty — though the teen has denied responsibility for the murder. Nolan wrote that it was concerning that Bagshaw could allegedly plan the murder, follow through with and then concoct lies to police at such a young age.

"This is all beyond the ability of most 14-year-olds," the judge wrote.

Nolan wrote that if Bagshaw is convicted of the murder in adult court, he will face a mandatory prison sentence of 15 years to life, and the Utah Board of Pardons guidelines would recommend imprisonment for more than 20 years.

Kasprzak went missing from her Riverton home the night of March 10, 2012. Her beaten body was pulled from the Jordan River in Draper the next day.

Prosecutors asked that Bagshaw be tried as an adult because of the brutal nature of the crime.

Kasprzak's mother, Veronica Kasprzak-Bratcher, said after Bagshaw's preliminary hearing in March that her family hoped the teen would stand trial in adult court.

"He made a pretty adult decision," she said. "This wasn't a one-time, accidental 'I lost my temper.' This was brutal. And that's a pretty adult decision to make."

Kasprzak-Bratcher said she was concerned that if the case stayed in juvenile court, Bagshaw would be released from custody when he turns 21 and would no longer be under the supervision of the juvenile system.

Nolan's Tuesday decision came 43 days after a weeklong certification hearing for Bagshaw, where the judge heard evidence about the teen's upbringing, as well as mental health and psychological evaluations. The judge opted not to make an immediate ruling after that March hearing.

Prosecutors claimed the murder was premeditated, saying Bagshaw lured Kasprzak to an isolated spot near the Jordan River, killed her and dumped her into the river, then tried to cover up the crime. Up to nine blows caused fractures to Kasprzak's skull.

"Basically, her forehead was shattered," prosecutor Patricia Cassell said during her closing argument.

Defense attorney Bill Russell argued during the March certification hearing that the case should be kept in juvenile court, saying there was no evidence of premeditation or willfulness.

Russell had indicated that his client would plead guilty to the obstruction charge if it were kept in the juvenile court system.

During the preliminary hearing portion, prosecutors put on evidence that Bagshaw and Kasprzak called each other 10 times the night Kasprzak disappeared.

A cellphone expert testified that they were able to pinpoint where Bagshaw was when Kasprzak's mother called him at 9:01 that night.

He was near a pedestrian bridge along the Jordan River Parkway in Draper, testified Sy Ray, president of a company that specializes in police cellphone investigations.

That's the same bridge — upstream from where the girl's body was later pulled from the river — where drops of Kasprzak's blood were found the next day.

Prosecutor Peter Leavitt argued at Bagshaw's preliminary hearing that the defendant used the girl's assertions that he hd gotten her pregnant as a motive for the homicide. Kasprzak's stepfather testified that the girl had taken a pregnancy test and wasn't actually pregnant.

The obstruction of justice count stems from the defendant's attempts to get a friend to lie to police about how Kasprzak's blood got on the defendant's shoes. Nolan wrote in his ruling that if Bagshaw had not been facing the murder charge, it would best serve the community that the teen receive services and treatment in the juvenile system.

The defendant was arrested and charged in October 2014, at which time he was living in Colorado.

Nolan noted in his ruling that Bagshaw's life is "trending negatively" — the teen has dropped out of school, has substance abuse issues with marijuana and alcohol and had a "chaotic upbringing" as he lived off and on between his parents through the years. The judge added that Bagshaw has had no previous juvenile court history in either Utah or Colorado before or after Kasprzak's death.

jmiller@sltrib.com Twitter: @jm_miller